Rise of The Eldergrimm
by Erenor
Summary: "You won...but you will not enjoy your victory... they will not let you." The Salem War is over and team RWBY has returned to their ordinary life as huntresses, each one dealing with everything they lost or gained through it, as the world slowly steps to a new age. But even without the Queen, darkness stirs and long- forgotten enemies awaken in the remote corners of Remnant.
1. A New Era

**Hello everyone, this is my first RWBY fanfiction ever, or my first fanfiction ever to be honest. I intend to upload once a week, every Thursday. I hope you enjoy it as much, or even if you don't thanks a lot to everyone who will spend even a few minutes to read my chapters!**

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-After careful consideration and since I cannot gather my thoughts without a proper timeline, I have decided to use the end of The Great War as date 0, therefore assuming that RWBY Vol. 1 started at 80.

-The story has been written after volume 6, so everything happening in volume 7 and after that will differ from my narration of the past.

The sound of metal clashing on metal filled her ears, as Crescent Rose finally managed to knock the second kusari-gama out of its owner's hands. Ruby stopped, retracting her scythe back her shoulders once more, taking in Emerald's state in front of her.

The girl was heavily battered and bruised, with several bloody cuts all over her body. Her aura had also been severely reduced. "It's over Emerald. Time to surrender" she stated as a matter of fact. "Huff…never! NEVER!" a pair of bloodshot eyes, filled with hatred, stared at her. "You took her away from me- I will never surrender to you!"

The red girl narrowed her eyes in sadness; she already knew Emerald was just that- another victim of Cinder. She had hurt lots of people, but she could still be saved. "Please, Emerald. I don't want to hurt you and right now you can't defeat me!" "…" the girl smiled at her "I don't want to defeat you; I want to _**break**_ you!" and then she turned her gaze away, looking behind Ruby's back-

Right where Jaune was occupied with fighting Mercury. _No! _Ruby's body moved on its own; desperation and fear filled her very being. It took her two seconds to teleport next to Emerald and another one to swing her weapon towards her.

However, in the last moment, Ruby Rose, the fastest huntress in Remnant, found herself unable to deal the blow and kill her target. It took her one more dreadful second to move her arms and strike with all her might. One extra second was all her enemy needed.

Jaune's cry of pain filled her ears with dread one second before Crescent Rose sliced Emerald's chest open wide, filling Ruby's vision with red.

-o-

_**November 27**__**th**__**, 85**_

_**Beacon Memorial Hospital, Reconstructed City of Vale.**_

Ruby Rose opened her eyes, the morning light gently caressing her eyelids as it passed through the curtains. _That horrible nightmare again!_ She scratched her head, and stretched out, her entire back stiff from the uncomfortable sleep, looking that she was in her pajamas.

_I slept on the chair, didn't I? _Her gaze quickly ran around the private hospital room, falling onto the familiar sight; Jaune Arc lying on top of the bed, with state-of-the-art hospital equipment placed next to him to ensure that his body would be preserved enough for whenever the poor boy managed to return from his comatose state-if he ever did.

She rubbed her eyes and got up from her seat. "Morning, Jaune!" She said; her voice as chipper and enthusiastic as she could be. "Sorry for oversleeping on your chair- I have been pretty tired recently, with the bad dreams and such!" she moved next to him, gently rubbing his cheek "but you know that already, right?"

Ruby felt her eyes water as she retracted her fingers and covered them "a-anyway! You don't mind if I used your bath, right? I will be back in a few minutes!" she moved into the bath, undressed and let the cold water take away her grief.

A few minutes later, Ruby stepped out of the bath, droplets of water running down her hair and body. She looked at her image in the small bathroom mirror, letting a sigh escape her lips.

The last five years of fighting and training, both in the Salem War and as a member of the Vale's Special Huntsmen Unit afterwards, had toned her frame even more, the baby fat vanishing and giving place to a few developed muscles. Despite that, her body had become slightly more feminine as well, with ample curves in all the right places, despite being accompanied by lots of scars and battle wounds.

She had also put on a little height, much to her partner's dismay. The only things remaining the same were her gunmetal eyes, shining brightly as if they hadn't lost their powers since long ago, and her trademark dark, red tipped, shoulder length hair she was now drying with a flower-patterned towel.

"It's been almost a year, Jaune…" she said from inside the bathroom "…and still no sign of _them_; the girls are becoming even more skeptical about Salem's parting words…but…" Ruby stopped "…I can feel it somehow…I wish you were here… I wish you could tease me about this" her eyes started watering again and her shoulders trembled.

"…I miss you, Vomit Boy. I know you will come back; I know you are strong. But I miss you… I have never felt this way… and I hate not knowing what to do with this…" the sound of her scroll buzzing mercifully cut her off. She wiped her tears, took a deep breath and picked it up, noticing a message from Goodwitch.

"_Team RWBY is to report to my office immediately." _

Before she could even realize it, her mind had sprung in action. She wore her long, thigh-high stockings with the rose pattern on, along with her traditional black combat skirt with red lower cuts. Her corset and beige blouse had given way for a red shirt with long sleeves and a black sleeveless vest with rose-colored buttons.

A large silver belt hung on her waist, Crescent Rose attached to it. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of silver, sword-shaped earrings and a safe-color rose pin she used to hold her trademark red cloak in her shoulders.

She put on her black boots, picked up her backpack and tenderly kissed Jaune on the forehead "I am off to save the world; and save Yang from Weiss' wrath as soon as they learn their vacation is suspended." She moved to the door, before turning around and whispering "I love you. See you soon."

-o-

Ozpin Academy was considerably away from the hospital, but Ruby didn't mind. Walking through the buzzing city filled her mind with pointless thoughts that helped her forget that awful memory- and the even worse reality that had followed it.

The council of Vale had put a great effort in rebuilding the city after the end of the War and, despite Weiss' continuous remarks of them doing it for political reasons they had done a pretty great work in that. Most city blocks had been restored and even after one year, construction works could be seen all over the place, even with the thin layers of white covering the terrain since the snowstorm a few days ago.

All Grimm had been pushed back to Forever Fall forest and old Beacon Academy-now renamed to Ozpin Academy upon Goodwitch's request- had been extensively renovated and undergone lots of aesthetic changes, including the removal of a huge petrified Wyvern from the top of the huge central tower.

Ruby merrily reminisced the day her team had been called to celebrate the reopening of the city's symbol of hope and peace. _If only the numerous protesters about the Academy system being outdated and useless weren't present back then…_

She stepped on the Academy grounds, the familiar image of the lantern-covered road leading to the entrance brought a soft smile on her face. She moved faster, taking in the new additions, especially the large emblem located above the entrance, right behind Ozpin's statue; a golden tiara, surrounding two crossed red swords- the symbol of Vale's Special Huntsmen Unit, created by Glynda Goodwitch in order to reclaim Vale three years ago.

After the reopening of Ozpin Academy, she decided to continue leading the Unit along with directing the School, therefore turning this establishment into both an institute for training new huntsmen and the headquarters for the seasoned ones like team RWBY.

It was this exact fusion that made 20-year-old legendary huntress Ruby Rose, leader of the 15-person team that infiltrated Salem's stronghold and defeated the Queen of Grimm one year ago, stand in front of the main gate while trying to listen to any children noises.

After a few seconds had passed, the girl took a deep breath and stealthily walked inside. She tiptoed through the empty corridor, stealthily passing unseen from all classes. _**"Asyoucanseepeople,historyplaysafundamentalrole…"**_ Dr. Oobleck's voice echoed in the empty space as she made haste for Beacon Tower and the directress' office on top of it.

She had reached the top of the staircase, when her eyes fell upon a familiar image sitting in front of Goodwitch's door; a young man, with dark skin and deep green eyes, framed by long, wavy black hair. He was wearing a long olive overcoat with a white shirt and black pants underneath.

A thick red belt and shoulder pads on top of the coat finished his outfit and a long black cane rested on his hip. In his chest, the Unit's emblem proudly rested. Upon seeing her, he gave a big smile. "Ruby! Nice to see you here!"

"Good morning Oscar!" she merrily replied "how are you doing?" "Ah, I am fine. Actually I am better than ever; thanks to your sister."

The silver-eyed girl looked at him in confusion, before her mind managed to connect the dots, which led to a happy squeal that might had shattered the window behind them "You finally asked Alice out!" she snapped her head towards the shy boy in excitement.

"Yeah; Yang's advice was on point- it turns out she likes me as well" he sheepishly scratched his head, before the red girl enveloped him in a swift hug. "I am so happy for you, Oscar!" she grinned at him.

Everyone in teams RWBY, LEAD and JNR knew about Oscar's old crush in Ruby and how it had nearly dragged him down when she and Jaune had started dating mid-war. Listening to him finally moving on after he hesitated for so long with his second crush and current teammate, Alice Lime, was a very pleasant surprise for her.

"Thanks Ruby. It means a lot to me; really." "Well, what did you expect? Of course I would be happy!" They both smiled at each other, before she decided to change subject. "Are you waiting for a mission, too?"

"Actually, no. Team OLIV returned yesterday and we are resting for today; I came to submit a report about some strange findings in south Vacuo." Before she could ask him what these strange findings were, he continued "and Ms. Goodwitch told me to wait here and send you to the combat classroom when you arrived."

Ruby raised an eyebrow in confusion "the combat classroom? Why there? We usually get briefed on our mission here."Oscar let a sigh escape his lips "She said something about wanting to teach you how a proper huntress behaves in public."

She opened her eyes wide in displeasure "I don't like being on TV! Besides, Weiss did excellent in the interview with Lavender!" "Well, if you tell her that, she may calm down a little; she was furious about RWBY being the only team sending a replacement leader."

The girl laughed awkwardly "of course she would-I am not that lucky of a person. Thanks for the heads-up Oscar." "You are welcome. Good luck, Ruby."

She moved back towards the main hall where the combat classroom was located- and where the entire student body of Ozpin Academy would be right now, attending Glynda's class. It made sense; Goodwitch knew that Yang and Weiss were in Patch right now, so it would take them a few hours to be here at best.

And taking into account that Blake was already at Ozpin, helping Sun demonstrate advanced aura control to the few advanced students it meant Ruby coming here so early was a trap. A devious trap by her commander; who also was the only thing she feared more than Salem's warning.

_Its fine_ she told herself. Even Goodwitch is not that wicked; _it's gonna be all right!_

She opened the door and her gaze fell upon a vast classroom, filled with students who were looking at her in excitement- wait, was that a Ruby Rose banner in the back? Glynda Goodwitch, prim and proper as always, dressed in her classic outfit as if a day hadn't passed since they first met in that police station, turned around and looked at her with a devilish smile.

"As I told you children, today we will be having a special guest for our class, who agreed to take an hour off her busy schedule and talk to us about combat tactics and skills; Ms. Ruby Rose of team RWBY. Please go easy on her!"

Her silver eyes opened wide in horror.

_She __**is**__ that wicked!  
_


	2. Scars

"What did you do to him!?" Blake's voice was ragged and panting, as she grabbed her katana's handle. Opposing her, at the other side of Watts' laboratory, Sun Wukong was standing. His usual gentle demeanor had been pushed away, his eyes shining with a menacing green color.

The mad Atlasian was nowhere to be seen, but Blake knew he was around; after Atlas he had made it clear he liked seeing his victims suffer. "The same thing Ms. Schnee experienced back then" the voice was deep and had an air of absolution in it; the worst part was, it came straight out of her boyfriend's mouth.

Sun sprung in action. Four clones appeared in front of him, running towards Blake. She drew Nightfall, pressing the button that broke the magma-colored blade into six pieces, all held together by a durable carbon wire designed by her team leader.

Rapidly swinging her weapon like a whip and utilizing its ingenious gravity dust mechanism, the cat girl unleashed a cascade of slices that annihilated the attackers. As expected, Sun charged forward, aiming for her head with his staff.

She blinked away, allowing her clone to take the damage, using the momentum to retract her blade, slicing towards Sun's possessed faunus broke his weapon in two, unleashing a flurry of attacks with his gunchucks. She blinked once more at his back, but he was faster than her.

Creating a clone just at her landing point, he forced Blake to instantly teleport away once more- exactly where he knew she would; they had been training together for quite some time after all. The blonde charged at her, unleashing a devastating swirl of attacks, alternating gun shots with chuck strikes, not leaving her time to dodge away again.

_Left arm, right elbow, gunshot! _The sound of Nightfall parrying the attacks filled her ears, muffling her strained attempts to defend. _Right leg, head, head, chest, shot!_ A furious rain of steel surrounded them, with only the shots from the boy's guns interrupting their duel.

Blake hadn't received any important injuries, but she knew there was no way out of this; Sun was both stronger and faster than her. She could defeat him if she used her semblance properly and infused dust into it, but this was out of the question for now- there was no way she would risk actually damaging him. _Leg, leg, chest, neck, double shot! _She suppressed a groan of pain as both shots found home, rattling her aura.

Taking advantage of her momentary shock, Sun downed both chucks at her shoulders, making her gasp in pain once more as she literally felt her bones cracking under the power. _This is bad- I am losing! How am I supposed to stop Watts and help Sun like this?_

She gritted her teeth, as her head became dizzy- and a paranoid thought came to her. As the boy leaned closer to finish her off, Blake used her semblance again- but this time remained at the same place. Sun had already anticipated that she would try get away, and was completely caught by surprise at her move.

Throwing all caution to the wind, she headbutted his stomach, feeling the strain of his aura absorbing the impact. Before he could even react and summon his clones, the cat girl swiped at his feet, throwing him on the ground.

She hastily unclasped Nightfall, using its wires to grab the falling faunus' arm, turning him over and forcing him to fall with his face to the ground, immediately jumping on his back and pinning him down. Adrenaline rushed her face, as she heard the man "hahahahaha…" _laughing?_

Blake blinked twice, the sound of Sun's gentle laughter filling her ears, accompanied by something else- applause. She looked around, and her eyes opened wide. Watts' laboratory, with all the weird lights and robotic parts spread around Grimm preserved in large tubes, was gone.

Instead, Blake found herself in the middle of a training arena, surrounded by Ozpin students who were looking at her in enthusiasm, clapping hands as she was sitting on top of- her yellow eyes opened wide when she realized she was literally sitting on top of Sun's back. "I am sorry, Sun!" she jumped back, helping the laughing blonde to his feet.

"That was a good match, Blake" he announced to the group of students, before turning back at her. She smiled meekly towards everyone, standing next to the young assistant professor, curtly bowing. "It was a good match Su- Junior Professor Wukong." She raised her head once more, stealing a quick glance of the man.

Sun had grown slightly taller, his unruly blonde hair and gentle blue eyes still adding to his honest and good-natured presence, a well-trimmed blonde beard the only notable change on his pleasant face.

His outfit, on the other hand, had been altered a lot, courtesy of Goodwitch who had nearly kicked him out when he first appeared with his unbuttoned shirt and trimmed jeans in the Academy. He now sported a red and white uniform, with tied-up buttons and high collar; Blake always thought he looked ridiculous in it.

"Well, everyone" he addressed the class "we are going to have a thirty-minute lunch break before I start getting you for exhibition matches. Give an applause to Blake for helping us with today's lesson." As the students around them started clapping in enthusiasm, she let her yellow eyes scan the room twice.

_One, two…six of them looking at me as if I am a dirty piece of rotting meat. _She sighed inwardly_. I guess some things never change._

_-ο-_

"Here you are" Sun gave her one bottle of water, before sitting next to her in the empty classroom. "Thanks" she took the bottle, gulping it down thirstily and then lowering her head in his lap, using his legs as a pillow. He ran his hand through Blake's hair, earning a small smile in return.

"Sorry for pouncing on you at the end" she finally said. "It happened again, didn't it?" his voice was calm and soothing, but the mention made Blake stiffen a little. "I don't know what- ow!" she stopped replying, realizing the boy had just pulled her cat ear. "Don't you think that after a year of living together, I would be able to see through your lies?"

She closed her eyes, admitting her defeat."It was back at Watts' lab again. As soon as we grabbed the weapons, everything came to my mind" she snuggled at his lap even tighter. "The fight started exactly as I remember it, but…at some point I lost it again. I… didn't realize what was going on, until you started laughing."

He smiled "then I should laugh more; good to know." She narrowed her eyes "I am serious, Sun! I could have hurt you- again…" The boy narrowed his eyes too "didn't I tell you to stop thinking of that? It's gone, Blake. Passed, happened, gone."

She raised her body, now sitting next to the boy, and gently pressed her hand to Sun's chest "what I did to you will always remain here" she trailed her fingers over the scar she knew was hidden underneath "and that will not change- yep!"

Sun leaned forward and captured her lips, tenderly pushing her backwards for a few seconds before breaking away, smiling brightly. "You are so cute when caught off-guard; I never get tired of it- ouch!" he yelped in pain as the cat girl flicked his forehead.

"Can you be serious about, at least five minutes?" she groaned, her ears perked atop- an indication she was getting angry. "You are serious enough for both of us, you know" he shrugged his shoulders. "Sun…" she hissed menacingly.

"What do you want me to tell you, Blake? I've told you so many times already. I am here, alive. And it's all thanks to you, you know. If it wasn't you, I would probably have ended up as a freaky lab monkey or something." A groan was the only reply "Your puns are worse than Yang's; I will talk to her about how much of a bad influence she is."

Sun exhaled deeply. "My point is; I owe you my life Blake. If not for you, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have the chance to spend the happiest year of my life so far with you. I would be dead. And I can't still understand why you keep focusing on this" he pointed at his chest "and not on the rest of me, who is still breathing because of you."

At this point, the woman had lowered her head, ears totally flattened on the top of her head. "You are right…" she murmured "it's just…the feeling of my blade cutting you down, your blood on the floor… the scream of pain…so hard to forget…" she massaged her head to relax, her breath coming out in short, forced gasps.

A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her, filling her with warmth that she very silently appreciated. As Sun felt her relaxing in his arms, he continued "as usual, you are so harsh on yourself. You are making incredible progress; after the battle, you couldn't sleep at night. I still remember waking up seeing you struggle with the bed sheets."

"Sorry about that…" He rubbed her back "but look at you now- you have been in so many missions with no issues, unless Ruby is lying to us." The girl rolled her eyes "She can't lie to save her life."

"Exactly; this is the first episode you had in three months- and you were fighting me; which is the closest thing to that experience you had, Blake! You are doing great; give yourself some credit for once!" They broke the hug and, to his delight, she quickly pecked him on the lips "I-" he kissed her back, interrupting her once more, happy to see her this time returning the favor.

-o-

The school cafeteria was empty, except for the few vending machines, as Blake got in and sat down on a table. Her long dark hair was being tied up in a ponytail, leaving her soft-looking cat ears visible for everyone to see. She wore her combat outfit; low-heeled black boots with a purple pair of pants and a button-up white jacket on top.

A long black overcoat with white buttons hung form her shoulders and Nightfall hung from her metal belt's right, along with a pair of black leather gloves and her low-caliber black handgun, Envelop, on her left. A large burn mark spread all over the base of her neck up to her cheek and a single gold ring adorned her right hand.

Enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, she opened up her scroll to check on the morning news before delving into her book. Unlike her team's trending couple, she shared Ruby's view of not wanting to interact with fans if possible.

Therefore the popularity team RWBY had gotten after their return from Salem's stronghold, both good and bad, unnerved her a little bit, making her frequent this place only during classes. She grabbed a bite from her tuna sandwich, her eyes falling on one of today's headlines.

"FENRIS STRIKES AGAIN! ANOTHER CARAVAN LOST TO THE NOTORIOUS FAUNUS BANDIT!"

Blake waved her head in sadness. Gray Fenris was a former White Fang Lieutenant in Atlas who, after the disband of the organization, gathered a small group of like-minded faunus around him. However, unlike her father's White Fang and even Sienna's up to some point, his band was nothing more than a group of bandits who mercilessly killed human and faunus alike, stealing all sorts of precious cargo.

She was very keen on the idea of locating and bringing him to justice, but the wolf-man was very elusive, constantly on the move for the last two years. Of course, both the Atlasian and Valean military had decided to not actively deal with him and placed a large bounty on his head instead, resulting in the deaths of quite the number of mercenaries and huntsmen who foolishly tried to sniff him out.

_Not even a world-scale war can change the nature of humans or faunus, after all. How sad… _her mind drifted to the children at class today and the disgusted looks pointed at her and Sun in the end of the lesson.

_A few years ago, they would be the majority of the class…at least things are looking a little better in that aspect. The possibility of others holding back because it was me and not some non-name faunus is very high, of course… _suddenly getting reminded of something, she opened her contact list and hastily texted a message.

She put it down and turned around to- the emergency signal sound forced her to pick it up again.

"_Team RWBY is to report to my office immediately."_

She looked at her half-filled cup, gulped down the rest of the tea and gracefully moved towards the Beacon Tower. Passing by the combat classroom, she could have sworn she heard Ruby's cheerful voice from the inside.


	3. The Princess and The Dragon

**So, I've decided to upload two chapters this week, to finish with the introduction part. Hope you enjoy them! **

**I am not that good with expressing feelings, but at this point I want to give a big thanks to everyone who at least checked on the story and an even bigger one to the ones who actually followed/favored it. It means a lot to me, truly.**

**Most of all, though, I want to thank my two friends, Elia and Fenia, who have been putting up with my writing and blabbering so far and have helped me so much with the ideas and style. I love you both. **

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The wind was blowing her hair, letting her wild golden mane flicker like a roaring fire. Behind her, the sound of combat echoed through the halls and abandoned gardens of Salem's tower as the other three teams had already engaged their respective targets.

Lowering her cowboy hat, Yang Xiao Long looked at Weiss' figure standing a few meters away, observing the dark, red-stained sky. Her pristine, petite form was as breathtaking as ever, her cyan eyes the only thing betraying the anxiety she had for their comrades' safety. _What a woman_ Yang thought. _She refuses to let me see her sad or afraid. You are so-_

A roaring sound broke the blonde out of her thoughts; she focused her lilac eyes on the other side of the valley, for any indication- _ah, there they are; I was getting worried! _She looked at the rampaging horde of Grimm, fresh and new out of the pool of darkness, running across the landscape.

It would probably take them… "Less than fifteen minutes" the angelic voice near her finished her thoughts. "Get ready, Yang. This is only the first wave out of Dust knows how many we have to hold."

She activated Ember Celica and stretched her arms to let go of the tension building inside her. _So this is it. After five years of endless running and fighting, the finale to this stupidity. Dust knows how many of us will survive to-_

Yang bit her lip, as something inside her clicked. She turned to look at Weiss, who had drawn her pair of swords and was waiting in anticipation- they had still more than ten minutes, right? And after that, she might die. Or worse, Weiss might-

_No!_ she waved her head in dismissal._ Don't think like that! You are here for her! You will not let her down! Like you didn't let Ruby! Like you didn't let Blake! You will protect her; she means that much to you, after all._

The blonde looked at the object of her affection for the last year, and possibly even more. A_ pity she will never learn- _she took a deep breath, rubbing her head. _Now's better than never, I guess. If we survive, Blake's never going to let me get over this. _

"Hey Weiss?" The petite girl slightly turned her head "Yes?" "Remember back in Atlas, when you thought Blake and I were dating each other?" Weiss' cheeks flushed crimson. _So cute… _"Wh-what brought this?"

"Oh, you do remember." "It was not only me, you idiot! With the way you were acting, everyone thought the same until Blake started dating Sun!" she retorted as usual by attacking back to hide her embarrassment.

"Yes. But not everyone drank their ass out and challenged Blake to a duel for the privilege to date Xiao Long, did they?" Weiss' eyes shot wide open; while in the distance the roaring hooves of Grimm were getting closer.

"Thanks for reminding me the most embarrassing moment of my life, a few minutes before we both die, Yang." "Well, that's on you. For me, it was one of the best moments of my life, actually." The glow from Weiss' face could easily put premium dust to shame at this point.

"Yang, we have so little time right now; if you want to tell me something, I suggest you come out with it." "Yeah, sorry. You are so cute; I lost it for a moment." "Yaaang…" she narrowed her eyes, but a wave of the taller girl's hand stopped her.

"It's been almost two years since that. The first one doesn't count since we were fighting in different fronts, but still one year is way too much time I spent trying to realize the obvious. I lost Uncle Qrow, you lost your sister and so many friends of ours are either dead or severely hurt. We may die in a few minutes too, as you said."

She closed her eyes, mustering as much power as she could "but I have to ask; in the very crazy possibility we both survive, would you like to go out with me?"

-o-

_**November 27**__**th**__**, 85**_

_**Patch Island, West of Vale City**_

"Pfff…HAHAHAHAHA!" the roaring laughter of Taiyang Xiao Long filled the cozy living room as the blonde man didn't even try to conceal his amusement at the story he had just heard.

Next to him, chuckling in mirth, Weiss Schnee sat, enjoying her morning tea; her platinum-white strands were now reaching up to her shoulders and she tied them up in a very short ponytail, while in the front she sported bangs falling down her forehead, framing her lovely blue eyes.

She currently wore a long two-layered skirt, plaid brown on top and light blue underneath, with dark blue stockings and low heels. A pale white top completed the girl's attire. A single blue necklace adorned her white neck, gift to her from the late Winter Schnee.

"Hardy har-har; very funny you two." The annoyed voice coming from the other side of the living room belonged to no one else than Yang Xiao Long, daughter of the man who was one step away from chocking in laughter.

The blonde huntress was the one among her team who had retained the most of her appearance from their former days. Her wild golden mane was still there and the numerous scars and cuts she had received in her face and exposed arm only added to her powerful presence in combat.

Having donned her household clothing, an orange top and her jeans were the only things she wore, in addition to the cuddly and furry ball of cuteness that rested on her lap- the family corgi, Zwei.

"Oh come on, Yang" her girlfriend smiled in satisfaction "I still love you." _Shit that look is criminal._ "That's not my point, Snowflake" she turned to her dad "since when chill-at-home-weekend became laugh-at-Yang's-expense vacation?"

Tai took a serious tone before answering. "That's rich, coming from someone who nearly punched Weiss' father when they first met." Yang crossed her arms "first of all, that was three years ago. Second, he deserved it; in my opinion I should have done more."

"Well, thank Dust you didn't; I would hate to get a phone call telling me you got arrested again" he chuckled as he stood up "weather forecast said snowfall for tomorrow; I am going to the warehouse to get some extra wood."

Weiss got up "let me help you Mr. Tai." The man smirked and cast a side glance to his daughter. "Nonsense; you are our guest. Besides" he reached out and ruffled Zwei's head, waking up the little fluff ball "someone here has grown lazy- let's go boy!"

After the tall man had left the room, Weiss turned to her girlfriend "I still think you were very cute back then." Yang closed her eyes and crossed her arms again "you should have told that earlier; not now that we are alone."

"Oh, no, Xiao Long. I am not getting in an argument between you and your father again. Deal with it yourselves." She opened her left eye and rose its eyebrow, slowly tilting her head backwards "I am sorry, sweetie, but the 'privilege of dating Yang' as you yourself said, comes with the duty of supporting her against villainous family members."

"You are such a child." "Says the girl that can't sleep without cuddling me." "…" "…" "That was a low blow, even for you." Yang grinned "I was taught by the best." "Remind me to have a talk with Blake about this."

Both girls stopped and started laughing; such antics had become almost second nature to them- at some point they had become so common, that Ruby had grown anxious about whether they were actually dating or simply hating each other.

But both girls enjoyed it; they could show their affection to each other this way when the situation didn't let them be more…intimate. "Still, don't complain about your dad" Weiss said, sipping some tea as she looked at the door "he is an amazing father; I wish I had the chance to grow in such a loving place; be a part of such a caring family."

"…" When Yang didn't respond to that, Weiss turned back at her "did I say anything wrong?" "No…" Yang replied in an unfamiliar reserved manner, playing with her hair before looking at her girlfriend.

The atmosphere turned quiet for a few seconds as lavender got locked with pale cyan. Weiss didn't want to break it; she knew Yang very well to know that this was her 'I want to tell you something important' form. "Hey, you know…your apartment is really good" she finally said.

Weiss sipped her tea, without answering. "But it's very far away both from mine and the one Rubes stays in." "And?" she let her lips curve upwards. "And…you do spend a lot of time in mine-not that I don't like it" Yang felt her cheeks heating up.

"And?" Weiss hoped her amusement was not too obvious. "And, you told me you would like to be with someone who cares and loves you- that is me." She put her mug down, smiling widely "you are blabbering again- do I have to make the question for you?" Yang frowned before letting a whisper "come stay with me; I promise it will be worth it."

Weiss didn't reply; instead she got up and walked next to an overheating Yang, who was staring at her as her life depended on it. The alabaster girl sat down next to the blonde and stared at her eyes once more "are you sure you can deal with me 24/7?And I am very serious about it- we don't know-"

"Yes. I know all these. I have been thinking about this for weeks now. I love you, Princess. Even if it's tough, or weird, I will deal with it, if it means being with you." "I love it when you get all romantic, My Dragon." She leaned forward and kissed her tenderly; letting her hands trail over Yang's muscled back "the answer" she whispered between her kisses "is yes."

Yang's heart soared, her brain failing to process anything else as she felt her hands grabbing Weiss and pushing her closer. She didn't even manage to remember that her father was somewhere around, cutting wood as the pale girl shivered in her embrace-

The sound of two scrolls beeping with the SHU emergency summons signal snapped her out of the merry reverie. Weiss quickly slipped away from her, making Yang sigh deeply "Please tell me it's Glynda asking us to bring her traditional Patch sweets on Monday."

She didn't have to wait for a reply; Weiss' frustrated face told her everything she needed.

-o-

The roar of Bumblebee II's engine echoed through the vast fields, as Yang sped up, trying to reach the academy and, by extension, Goodwitch's office, in time. Well, not in time, since Ruby and Blake had gone there twelve hours earlier than them, but…

"In our defense, we had to cross the sea in order to get here; let's use that." She stopped next to the academy entrance, pulling the bike to the side after both she and Weiss got off. "I concur; and let's not tell her that we didn't have your combat gear with us and were forced to stop at your apartment to get them."

Both girls looked at each other; Yang wore her usual attire- the exact same one she had been using since the battle of Haven, save for replacing her long tan coat with a leather sleeveless vest and a brown short jacket. The extra addition was a black cowboy hat she had grown fond of since the Vacuan desert expeditions. Old trust-worthy Ember Celica was equipped in both her metal and normal arms and her travel backpack was strapped in her back.

Weiss' huntress outfit, on the other hand, consisted of a long-sleeved white blouse with blue snowflakes, along with a pale blue combat skirt and dark blue leggings, with white platform boots. Light blue pieces of armor protected her wrists, elbows and shoulders.

A thin belt was strapped above her skirt, where both her weapons, the multi-dust silver rapier Myrtenaster and her parrying blue-hilted shortsword, Crown, rested. She had in her back her own respective travel bag. "Weiss Schnee requesting to hide vital information from Goodwitch?" Yang chuckled "the world is officially ending!"

"You might be right on that" a cool, familiar voice replied from behind them. Both girls turned around to see Blake in her combat outfit as well, standing next to the entrance with an amused expression on her face. "Blakey!" Yang rushed and hugged her partner who returned the gesture "how are you?" the faunus asked her.

She exaggeratedly opened her palms "oh, excited! Who wouldn't be when pulled out of her vacation?" "And you?" she turned to Weiss, who was cut off by the blonde before she could reply "she is a little grumpy too; whined during the entire trip."

"I did not!" the ex-heiress stomped the ground with her foot "I just expressed my desire to know our mission beforehand so I could prepare myself in a more organized and suitable manner!" "I am sure you do" Blake stated flatly. "I will not dignify your irony with a proper response, Belladonna."

The bumblebee pair laughed at the girl's antics, as all three of them moved inside the Academy. "Where is Rubes, by the way? I thought she would be the first one to arrive." "She is here- in the director's office. Goodwitch forced her to hold a lecture about advanced combat tactics in front of the entire school- fan club included- while waiting for you."

"You are joking!" Weiss' mouth hung agape. _Talk about holding a grudge_, Yang thought. "Leave it to Rubes becoming a hero and then being anxious and afraid to meet her fans" the taller girl announced as they reached the top of Beacon Tower. "Well, she never wanted publicity to begin with; so that's natural."

"I disagree, Ms. Schnee" Glynda's voice replied coldly after all three of them entered the office. Their commander was there, seated in her chair. Bookshelves and other pieces of furniture adorned the room, including six chairs and a table in front of the director's desk, Ruby occupying one of them.

"Hello Commander Goodwitch, Ruby" Weiss bowed politely and Blake followed suit. Yang merely waved her hand at the professor and hugged her sister deeply after the latter finished greeting her teammates. Non-casual talk had never been part of RWBY's interactions with each other, but it never hurt to be formal with the leader of Vale's huntsmen.

"What do you disagree with, Madam?" Weiss asked the stern woman as they took their seats. "There is nothing natural about not being able to properly interact with civilians; a huntress must be able to adapt to all sorts of challenges, not only monster-slaying ones. In that aspect, Ms. Rose has still much to learn."

"Well, I never wanted to be famous, Professor" she groaned. "Just a-" "-normal girl, I know Ms. Rose. Unfortunately, defeating the woman who commanded the Grimm for so long is exactly what makes one famous; at some point you have to deal with it."

Lowering her lips and narrowing her eyes, Ruby slightly pouted, donning the expression Weiss had so many times dubbed as 'adorkable', forcing Glynda to wave her head in an exaggerated manner..

"All right, enough idle talk" she fixed her glasses. "It's time for us to talk about your mission." She let her gaze fall upon the girls, approving that she had all of their attention on her, before announcing something that made all members of team RWBY stare at her in wonder.

"You have been personally requested for a missing person case by a Vale Council member."


	4. Yugure

**Hello everyone! Due to me moving to a new house for summer work, next week is going to be a little hectic, so I am uploading a double chapter today, in case I don't manage to have one on next Thursday! Hope you enjoy it! **

**I feel obliged to once more thank everyone who has followed and favored the story so far- it means a lot to me. **

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"A missing person case?" Yang's voice broke the silence that had settled for a few seconds in the room "that's why you summoned us so urgently?" she added, visibly annoyed. "Do you think something like this is beneath you, Ms. Xiao Long?" Glynda's cold gaze fell upon the girl who opened her mouth to reply- "that's hardly the point here"

Yang was cut off by her sister. "It's not about beneath or not, Ms. Goodwitch. We are huntresses; we kill monsters for a living, not track down people." Weiss nodded "I agree with Ruby, Madam. This is a job for a sheriff or the police; we are hardly qualified for something like that."

"Just so that you know, I would normally agree with you." Blake raised an eyebrow to that statement. "However, this case is a little different than what you may be thinking" she pulled out a map "have you ever heard of Yugure village?"

All of them shook their heads, Blake only adding it sounded Mistralian. "That's correct, Miss Belladonna. Do you know of the White Altar?"

"I've heard of them" she replied. "At the final year of the War, after Salem's forces attacked the Mistralian coast, many refugees fled to Vale trying to escape the rampaging Grimm. As they found themselves on that side, however, they met even more monsters and got nearly annihilated. The survivors claimed they had scaled up a river and reached a place where Grimm didn't even dare come close to- an abandoned altar made of pure white marble."

"Excellent Ms. Belladonna; as expected of you." "All right, count me impressed, Blakey. How did you-" "I like reading my newspaper every day; I am more surprised Weiss was not aware of them." Weiss did not reply; instead she decided to look away to their commander, ignoring her girlfriend's whispers to the faunus' ears that made the yellow-eyed girl stifle a laugh, before Glynda cleared her throat.

"Personal preferences aside, the story is totally accurate. After that, the survivors established a village in the area surrounding the altar, turning it into a church and founding one of the few religions that spread through Remnant during the war's aftermath. The religion is called White Altar and the village was named Yugure."

"Is this where the request came from?" Ruby asked; a spark of interest visible in her eyes. "Exactly, Ms. Rose. A few months ago, a member of the Vale Council, Mr. Isaac Pale, and his wife Bonette joined the religion and started making very generous offers towards the construction of the village church." Weiss rolled her eyes in disappointment.

"The couple and their three children went to Yugure a few days ago to celebrate the village foundation's second anniversary, but yesterday his elder daughter- Melia- went missing while she was praying in the altar. I assume you can guess the rest; instead of waiting for the local police to deal with the issue, he immediately requested to send our best team to investigate."

Ruby nodded "and that's us." "You are spoiling us, Boss" Yang chuckled. "First of all, it's Professor or Ms. to you, Ms. Xiao Long. Second, despite the young of your age, you four are the best team Vale has. You are to take a bullhead to Mangrove and from there a four-hour carriage to Yugure. Time is of the essence here, so I expect you to leave at once."

Team RWBY exchanged stares, nodding to each other before their leader smiled at the huntress' commander "understood."

-o-

_**November 29**__**th**__**, 85 **_

Weiss groaned for the umpteenth time as the carriage's wheels shook from running over another rock. The idyllic scenery with the towering, snow-covered trees and the gently running river, lit by the few strands of moonlight, would usually make the pale girl's heart skip a bit; it was the exact type of place she would love to have a stroll with Yang through, tenderly holding hands in the cold, smiling to each other…

Another shaking snapped her again out of her thoughts and she returned her gaze inside the vehicle, to meet Ruby's merry giggle. Blake was lost in another book of hers and Yang had been fast asleep for a while, her cowboy hat covering her face.

"What's so funny?" she asked. "With all these missions and stuff, I sometimes forget that you are not used to such things- your face right now is so funny!" she giggled once more, making Blake's lips momentarily curve upwards- something the faunus expertly hid by raising her book to face level.

"Oh come on, Ruby! Even Patch has stopped using horse-pulled cabs since quite some time ago! This is a torture to both my back- eek!" another violent shaking cut her off "and my nerves!"

"I didn't see you complaining when Ms. Goodwitch told us we would use it, Weiss…" "I thought it was a figure of speech! You know, like a metaphor!" Ruby rolled her eyes "I know what a figure of speech is, Weiss… I had been living with you for four years during the war."

"Well, what's done is done; we have less than half an hour remaining, so endure it. Besides, we have done worse than that already" Blake's voice added before the heiress could continue. "Oh, hush you!" she turned her eyes to the yellow-eyed girl and immediately narrowed them "are you laughing at me, Belladonna?" Ruby giggled again.

"I have no idea what you mean" she replied in a neutral manner. "Lower your book. Now." "But this is very interesting- more than you throwing a tantrum." "I am not throwing a tantrum!" At this point, Ruby's giggles had turned into a hearty laughter, filling the interior with the silver-eyed girl's happy sounds.

"Ah, the best sound in the world" Yang's voice cut off her sister's laughter, as she removed her hat and slowly sat up, planting a kiss on Weiss' cheek "no offence, baby, but this is one thing you can't surpass."

"Yet" Weiss kissed Yang back "slept well?" The blonde stretched her arms "like a log- but judging from Blake having barely started her book, not for so long."

The mentioned girl finally lowered her book, her stare perfectly neutral "ah, this is my second read, so I am going slower; don't use me as reference." "If you have read it before, shouldn't you go faster?" Ruby asked.

"It depends. When you read something for the first time, you are in a hurry to see the end; therefore, a slower repeat is necessary in order to enjoy how the story progresses and see parts you missed the first time."

"I see…" Ruby blinked a few times, before turning her gaze outside the window- and nearly slamming her head on the glass as the cab ran over another large stone. "All right, I am starting to see why Weiss feels so annoyed." "Better late than never" the ex-heiress smirked in satisfaction, earning a pair of smiles from their teammates.

"Are we not there yet?" Blake took a quick glance outside- and stopped, her gaze fixed on the image. At first glance, the forest was as expected- silent and asleep, under the thick blanket of winter. But her sensitive faunus' eyes saw it. Or, more accurately, saw _them_. Black figures, tall as a human, were staring at her behind the trees, slowly following the vehicle as it ran across the road.

"Stop the car!" She opened the window, screaming, the horses coming to a halt before the rest of her team managed to even protest. She turned at them "I saw something behind us! Figures in the trees, watching us!"

There was no need to say anything more; Ruby drew Crescent Rose and jumped out, the rest of her team behind her. "Weiss and Yang, stay here to guard the carriage; Blake, with me!"

As they rushed towards the tree line, the driver- an elderly man with grey hair and beard and heavy raincoat- shouted at them "what are you ladies doing?" "Its fine" Weiss interrupted him. "We saw something in the woods; they are going to check it out and come back." The man looked at her, in mild disapproval "these woods are bad, Miss. Not a good idea to go out there."

Weiss rolled her eyes "we are all trained huntresses; they can hold their own more than anyone." "The Grimm are not a threat here, Miss. They reach at most up to the woods close to the village. But the woods are _bad_" he said, making both girls raise an eyebrow "I don't like the way darkness falls in this place, and it's still early in the night."

Not having heard the driver's ominous words, Blake stormed towards the intended place, Ruby moving just as fast to let her lead them. They quickly arrived at the place, where the cat girl stopped, drew Envelop and took a good look at the place her eyes had spotted the images before. Nothing. She looked beyond the white-covered branches in case anything was hiding. Nothing.

"They…left. No one is here." Ruby let her silver orbs fall upon the carriage a few meters away, before pulling out of her backpack one of the latest additions to her huntress' equipment- a small, dust powered flashlight she quickly attached to Crescent Rose. "Let's see if there are any traces of them, then."

They both moved into the bushes, softly moving through the snow-covered terrain, as Ruby's torch lit the area. The small opening behind the trees was silent and pristine- no footprints, no broken branches or any marks on the white snow that anything had even passed from here. "Are you sure this was where you saw them, Blake?" her team leader asked, her usual chipper tone missing from her voice.

"Yes…" she replied; less certain than she wanted to. "Well, there is no one here. Human, animal or Grimm, this place is clear" Ruby announced, satisfied with the lack of danger. "I saw them" the red girl turned around, her eyes meeting up with Blake's, and widening as she saw the fear in them.

"I…" Blake's lips trembled. "I saw them, Ruby. I really did! Someone was here; I swear!" _Are you sure?_ "Blake… I-" "You believe me, don't you?" _Can you blame her if she doesn't? After all, you don't believe yourself, to begin with! _"I am not seeing things!" she blurted out, louder than she wished to, before a gentle hand grabbed her shoulder.

She stopped, feeling her heart rate dropping as a warm smile filled her vision "Don't be stupid, Blake. Of course I believe you!" instantly feeling ashamed, the cat faunus lowered her head, her ears flattened on top of it.

"Sorry…and thanks." Ruby rolled her eyes in a very Weiss-like manner; well, a much more playful and innocent Weiss-like manner. "Stop thanking me; we are family, remember?" Blake smiled back at Ruby- "BLAKE! RUBY! ARE YOU GUYS OK?"

Yang's concerned voice boomed through the forest, making both of them turn around. "We are fine, Yang! Everything is clear!" the brunette said as they moved out of the opening, through the bushes and into the road once more.

"You took your time you two; also, was it just me or did I hear Blake shouting?" Ruby shut off her flashlight "there was nothing there; Blake just shouted out of anger for making us stop like that."

The faunus gave off an apologetic smile "sorry, everyone." "What are you talking about? Better safe than sorry, right?" Yang replied as they got into the carriage and started moving again towards the village.

As it turned out, they had truly been very close to their destination. No more than twenty minutes had passed when the driver's voice told them they had reached Yugure. All members of team RWBY looked outside, taking in the unnatural, antique-like appearance of the place.

Yugure was a rather small village, filled with narrow yet tall wooden houses in dark colors and triangle, snow-covered rooftops. The roads were stone-paved and slightly uphill, seeming to spread around a large, Gothic-styled church in the middle.

Dust-powered street lights were spread all around the narrow alleys, brightly illuminating the place. Two large mansions in the north part of the village and an extended house resembling an inn were the only other noteworthy buildings. No people seemed to be around and the house lights were all shut off.

"Well, that looks inviting" Yang exclaimed. "There is no wall, not even a barricade" her sister added. "If the church is truly a sacred place that turns Grimm away, there is no need for one" Weiss replied. "What about bandits?" "Even the White Fang in its prime had instructions to not bother with this area; I never knew why" Blake's voice added.

They passed by a few houses and stopped right in front of the inn's stable. "We are here ladies" the driver told them as they got off "I will tend to the horses and then come inside. Wish you a good night and good luck!" "Thanks a lot Mister! Get some rest too!"

They walked to the front entrance; the inn was larger than most houses, a small red light emanating through the windows. A well-polished sign hung in the entrance

"_**White Garden Inn" **_

"You know, that's weird" Weiss said as they stood next to the door. "Are you talking about the lack of proper reception?" a cool voice next to her asked. "Exactly; we are on an official mission for the council of Vale. I would expect at least the sheriff to be around and get us into the matter at hand."

Yang scratched her chin "you know Weissy, something is bothering me too. There was not even one person to help the driver with the horses and pulling the carriage around- I am no expert but there is no way a stable doesn't have a few stable boys or something." "Impressive" Weiss smirked, making Blake stifle a laugh, before they all turned to Ruby.

"Well" their leader shrugged her shoulders "this place looks better than most if we want to ask a few questions- like where is our client supposed to be. Let's go" she opened the door and team RWBY stepped into White Garden.

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**P.S. A special thanks to Mojo1586 for his advice on improving my writing structure. I am a big fan of his work, the team AMBR series, as I consider it one of the most interesting RWBY fanfics I have read so far. **


	5. A Hospitable Place

The inn's interior was clean-looking and well-furnished. Five big dining tables with their respective chairs were spread around, all of them brand new and well- polished. The fireplace was lit, a gentle and warm flame slowly burning inside it. The walls were painted a pristine white and many flora-based drawings on them gave a relaxed atmosphere in the establishment; the total opposite of the outside impression they had so far.

A small bar was settled in the back, next to a carpet-covered staircase. A tall, bulky man with an oval face and a long brown beard was standing behind it, a large apron covering his clothes. An ornamental necklace resembling three pillars of white light falling to earth was hung from his neck.

"Good evening!" his roaring voice echoed through the empty place. "What can I do for you?" Ruby was the first one to walk towards him, looking directly at his round, brown eyes and the puffed red cheeks. "We are huntresses from Ozpin on a mission; Councilor Pale summoned us." The man opened his eyes in understanding "ah, team RWBY, right?" all girls nodded.

"Welcome, welcome. My name is Bistre Woodrock- owner of Yugure's only inn!" He offered his large, hairy hand to the girl, who shook it firmly. "I am Ruby Rose." "Weiss Schnee, pleasure to meet you." "I am Blake, and she is Yang." "What she said." "We would like to ask you where we can find the Councilman, or at least some local authority."

The man scratched his head, as if thinking of something. "Mr. Pale's mansion is next to the church, but you won't find him there; he is outside in the woods with sheriff Cloud, looking for his daughter. The only one you could talk to until they return is Mayor Abbey I think."

"That sounds great!" Ruby replied "can you tell us where we can find him?" He clicked his tongue, not answering for a few seconds, before finally replying "the mayor's office is at the central square, hard to miss it. Since the disappearance, he spends his time there."

"Thanks a lot!" Ruby smiled and turned around, Weiss and Blake bowed politely and Yang winked at him. "Oh one warning ladies" he shouted, stopping them before they left "the mayor has a bit of a tough personality, just so that you know." The blonde girl smiled nonchalantly "it's fine; we are here to help after all. I am sure he will understand."

-o-

"You just couldn't keep your noses out of our business, could you?" Mayor Joseph Abbey was a rather short middle-aged man, with short white hair and a well-shaved face. He was wearing a well-tailored gray suit and a necklace identical to Woodrock's hung from his neck too. His keen black eyes were literally poking holes at the four girls occupying his office at this point, their faces twitching in various states of confusion.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Weiss replied, not even bothering to conceal her displeasure at him. "He means we are not welcome here" Blake added from behind her. "Exactly what the lady means." "But we are here to help. There is no reason to be so hostile!" Ruby exclaimed, slightly raising her voice.

"You are here because Mr. Pale asked you to. The only reason I accepted you was to honor his wish." He narrowed his eyes "but that doesn't change the fact the rest of us don't want you around. We don't need Vale meddling with our village. Didn't need you before and won't need you any time soon."

"Now, you are just being rude. With no reason behind it" Yang gently brushed Ruby and Weiss aside, towering over the short man, her eyes narrowed- not having yet turned to red though. "Get back, you uncivilized-"

Weiss' hand got clenched into a fist but before she could even speak, Yang exhaled deeply. "Look, pal. I don't give a damn shit about you and your politics or everything. You are mad at us; that's fine. I can live with it."

She took off her hat, carelessly removing the snow- and letting it fall on the mayor's thick carpet. "But, unless you plan on kicking us out of this place on your own, you can't do anything to stop us investigate the area, am I right Rubes?" her sister gave her a quick thumbs up, grinning mischievously.

"Are you threatening me, huntress?" "NoPe. I am just saying that we are going to do our business and you can't stop us no matter what. So, drop the whole 'I am above you' act, because it pisses me off. And trust me, you don't want that."

To his credit, the man didn't flinch. He just stood there, eyes locked with the fiery blonde, before stepping back "all right, do whatever you want. Just don't mess around more than necessary."

-o-

"Well, that was a thing" Ruby turned around to look at her team as they all stepped out of the man's office building. "Do you think I got a bit overboard there?" her sister asked, only to receive a warm smile from Weiss "I think you were wonderful." Blake nodded "I agree with Weiss on that; I have seen my share of rude people, but this one could easily rival most of them. You did great Yang."

The blonde grinned widely, rubbing the back of her head. "So, what's the plan now that we are on our own? Wait for Pale?" "We could do that, or…" Ruby pointed towards their back; the central square was brilliantly illuminated by the street lamps and the light, slowly falling snow reflected it, giving off a deep, mystical impression.

Towards the place Ruby was pointing at, a small fountain resembling an angelic-like being was built, water normally pouring out of its arms and falling on the pond below. Now of course it was frozen, the figure standing there as a serene guardian in the dark.

"Am I supposed to understand something out of the fountain, Rubes?" Weiss rolled her eyes "she is pointing beyond the fountain, you idiot." Yang raised her head, seeing that her sister was actually trying to show them the church that stood half-illuminated at the end of the paved, snow-covered road, just at the outskirts of the village.

"I think there is no need to sit by doing nothing. Blake" she turned to the faunus "I would like you and Yang to go and wait for Mr. Pale. Talk with his wife while you are at it. Weiss and I will take a look at the church; we will examine the place Melia was last seen and meet you after we are done."

"Is there any reason for that, Rubes? I mean, the local police must have checked the place out already." Ruby kept looking towards the church, as snow slowly fell on her raised red hood. "Yeah, but I want to check it out myself. I…"

She turned back to them again, her face turned serious "…there is something I really need to check." "And you can't tell us, because?" Blake pressed on, making their leader sag her shoulders.

"Since Ms. Goodwitch told us of this place, I have been thinking. We have only seen one place that repelled Grimm in the entire history of Remnant." Three sets of eyes opened wide "the pool of life" Weiss said. "I know our first priority is to save the girl- but I also want to make sure about this thing too. The last time the pool of life was used, Salem came to be. So…"

"Who knows what else the Gods may be hiding, right?" Yang added. "Yes" Ruby nodded back. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but this is the first time we have been alone, just the four of us, since then." "In the middle of a village square, surrounded by buildings" Blake exclaimed "Buildings full of people, who might be eavesdropping on the strangers who came to their place."

Two silver pools opening wide and a huge embarrassed blush followed by the girl's attempt to hide her shame into her hood were the only motion that accompanied her team's disappointed expressions.

-o-

The woods were as dark and ambient as Samuel Cloud, the veteran ex-huntsman and sheriff of Yugure remembered them. He stepped out of the trail, pistol and lamp in hand, reaching the opening where the search party was supposed to regroup. He groaned, rubbing his nose that had turned red and was running from the cold.

"Damn", he whispered. This was the third time today they had ventured into the woods looking for Melia Pale, along with her father, a few volunteers and one of his two deputies, Mason. He was tired, cold and pretty sure there was no way they would find out anything about the girl; if they had failed the previous two days, how were they supposed to succeed now?

He stepped into the outing, his dim light meeting two more- Councilor Pale with Cyril, his other deputy, had the first and Melon's three sons had the other. All of them looked tired and were tugged into their coats- especially Pale. He had been searching non-stop since dawn. _Not that I blame the man, I would probably do the same for my son_ he thought.

"Did you find anything, Sam?" "Nothing, Mr. Pale. I think we should better wrap things up. We are all exhausted and we need some rest." "We may not have enough time, Sam. She needs-"

"Look, Sir" he cut him off "we have overstayed here already and even though Grimm don't come near the church, it doesn't mean the forest is safe at night." He wanted to tell him that if the poor girl had truly entered the woods and wasn't just hiding inside the village she was probably dead, but decided against it.

"Your huntresses are coming tomorrow; we can do a better search job then." Pale nodded and behind him, Cyril scoffed. "Is there any problem, kid?" the sheriff said. "Well, Sir. I don't think the huntresses will be able to do much more, to be-" "can it, boy" he cut him off, much to the deputy's dismay.

"I know what you guys around here think of outsiders, but at least _**they**_ will be able to take down Grimm instead of just avoiding them; that will let us search even deeper." Seeing the reluctant nod of everyone around him, Samuel groaned. "Let's get back anyway; we need to rest and warm up." Pale raised an eyebrow "without Mason and Aero?"

The question made Cloud turn back to the man "I sent them back half an hour ago! Didn't they pass from here?" "They never checked with us, sheriff" Ray Melon, the eldest son, replied. "I will be damned!" he shouted.

"Cyril, get Mr. Pale back. You three, return home too." "Sir, you are not going in again on your own." "I am; let me remind you, I was a huntsman once. And I am probably the only one who can go out there without attracting Grimm too much."

"But-" "That's an order kid" he checked his weapon and loaded it "wait for me in the village's outskirts. I will be back in half an hour if those two morons didn't get lost too far away from their checkpoint." Before anyone could even reply or try to stop him, the man threw his cloak over his head and entered the forest once more.

Surprising even himself, he managed to reach the checkpoint quite uninterrupted. Forget about the Grimm, even wildlife was very rare in this place. Ever since he got assigned here about six months ago, he was constantly surprised by two things; the abnormal lack of hospitality all of them seemed to share and the lack of monsters even this late at night- or not.

He stopped, shoulder sagging with disappointment as his eyes saw the bloody, mangled corpses of both his young officer and the poor ironsmith. He lowered his cloak, letting down his lamp as he stepped closer to the bodies, pistol in hand, ready to fire, and flare gun on his belt.

Both men were spread over the ground, lying upon a pool of frozen blood that had dyed the snow a deep red color. They were in such a bad state, even someone with his own experience shivered for a moment. _Poor guys… what happened to you? And why didn't we hear anything in such a silent place?_

Samuel looked around, his boots splashing over the thick, semi-solid red stain, until his eyes found Mason's weapon, just behind his lamp. He turned around, picked it up and opened the magazine, his surprised eyes seeing it was full- the victim hadn't even manage to shoot once. _This is no Beowolf or Creep work; what the heck attacked them?_ He sniffed his nose, barely feeling it any more.

Sheriff Cloud was truly exhausted that night. If he was in a better shape, he would have remembered to never turn his back towards the place he hadn't investigated yet while out in the open. He would have probably heard the subtle, yet audible sound of movement from his back. He would probably have the sharp mind to jump away as soon as his ears caught the heavy breathing behind him and run away as fast as he could.

The only thing the sheriff did right this night was not turning back his head, sparing himself the horror of seeing the unnamable thing that broke down his spine, preventing him from even screaming with his last breath.


	6. The White Altar

**Thankfully I managed to not skip this week after all. With no more to say and no intention to blabber, here's the next chapter; I sincerely hope you like it. **

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The towering form of the church slowly rose above their heads as Ruby and Weiss steadily climbed the road leading towards it. The massive rectangular building easily dwarfed every establishment in the area and had a vivid white coloration. Along with the green vines beautifully crafted all over the windows and outer walls, slowly covered by a thin fog, it seemed so out of place that the ex-heiress momentarily shivered.

There was no fence and no guards stood around to protect it, as the pair moved towards the tall brown doors in the entrance. On their left, a small isolated area filled with graves greeted them, making Ruby raise an eyebrow.

"Have you ever seen something like this?" she asked Weiss. "Which one; the questionable aesthetic, the lack of any proper surveillance or the cemetery right next to their sacred ground?" Ruby smiled awkwardly "well…all of them."

The white girl looked at her with a thinking expression "I think the cemetery is somehow tied to their religion or something- probably some sort of 'resting place away from the Grimm' symbolism." "That sounds right." "As for the rest, other than them being slackers, I have no idea."

They moved through the fog, reaching the gates, and tried moving them, to no avail. "My fair lady" Ruby made a childish exaggerated bow before Weiss pointed Crown, sending a small purple gravity glyph that slammed onto the door's lock, pushing it open, allowing Ruby to get in.

"You know, that's technically breaking and entering" she said. "You know, you should have thought that before you helped me open it" Ruby put her head out and winked at her, making the pale girl roll her eyes "just let me get in, you dolt." "Sorry" she replied "just wanted to release some stress before we get started."

Weiss stood for a moment, before stepping in after her partner. "Does that stress have to do with the possibility of the pool of life being here?" she asked as they both strode through the main hall, moving around tall white pillars, covered in green marble vines. "Yes."

"Does it have to do with you thinking whether it could heal Jaune or not?" Even without her turning around, Weiss could see her leader's face drop. "Can we please focus on the altar? It must be this way" she pointed towards their front, picking up the pace as she broke away from Weiss, who suppressed a sigh before following her.

The altar was truly there; a wide circle made of pure white stone, forming three thin columns that looked like they were being shot out of the earth, reaching up to nearly two meters high. The glowing surface of the stone seemed to be reflecting the light coming outside the windows, illuminating the Holy Place without any sort of dust being utilized.

The columns were not perfect circles; rather, their surface was serrated and the edges were thrashed. "It looks rather simplistic" Weiss exclaimed "albeit beautiful." "It also looks ancient" Ruby trailed her hand over the pillar "it definitely is older than anything we have seen outside the Grimmlands."

A smile slowly formed on her lips- but she immediately suppressed it. _What are you, a kid? You should be ashamed, Rose! You have a mission! _Hoping that her friend hadn't seen her, Ruby turned on her torch "according to what Ms. Goodwitch told us, Melia was around here the last time everyone saw her. Let's see what we can find."

About half an hour later, both girls were standing next to the altar, looking at each other trying to gather their thoughts. Their search had proven to be fruitless; no traces of the girl, of anyone else and anything unusual happening in the place.

"Either she simply ran off on her own, or whoever took her was really good at covering his tracks. Unless the local police lied to Goodwitch and messed around the place." "Yeah…" Ruby stood up, her silver eyes scanning around the white circle. "But she can't have vanished, now. Someone would have seen her. This is so frustrating!"

The pale girl nodded in agreement, despite the seemingly out-of-nowhere complains, her arms and shoulders slumping down as she looked at the pristine white floor- _wait, what_?

Weiss got up "Ruby, look behind you." The red girl turned around, confused. "I mean down on the floor, you dolt. There are marks next to the altar." Both girls knelt down; there truly were some white marks, trailing in a circular, door-like pattern originating from the white stones. "It looks like something was moved across it!" Ruby grinned "Weiss, you are a genius! How do you think it opens?"

Instead of answering, she spun Myrtenaster, conjuring a huge black glyph across the surface next to the trail. Drawing her rapier back, she felt the floor moving, as the altar slowly and steadily opened, revealing a dark passage. Under the dim illumination, they both saw a stone staircase leading down, thin fog pouring out of it. "Yes" Ruby said "now I can do it!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at her leader's antics. Ruby had a tendency of acting childish, even among missions of such importance, but…this time she was _off_. The red-clad reaper never used vague language, and never referred to herself instead of her team.

"What can you do, Ruby?" Laughter filled the place; a childish, yet wicked laughter coming out of the girl's mouth, that made Weiss' hair stand on edge. "Save Jaune- it will show me how!" Ruby turned around- and Weiss' heart nearly stopped.

Her friend, her leader, her teammate; the gentlest and purest soul she had ever met, was looking at her with a malicious grin, her eyes shining with a bright red color; unlike Yang's passionate and fiery ones, these were pulsing with savage glee, nearly dripping out of her face.

"R-Ruby?" she whispered "what are you-" "Let's go, Weiss! We have a girl to find!" the moment passed, and the image got lost, a confused Ruby now staring at the ex-heiress, her innocent silver pools open wide in worry." "Are you ok? You look like you saw a ghost, Weiss." _I might actually have_, she thought as she stood up.

"I am fine, sorry. I am just a little tired from using my semblance, that's all" _or at least I hope so. _"Come see what I found" Ruby motioned her to come closer, showing a small, red object that was lying on top of the staircase. "Is that a girl's shoe?" "I think Melia went this way." "Good" she took a couple steps backwards "let's go find Blake and Yan-" "Agh!" the groan of pain coming from Ruby's mouth stopped her in her tracks.

Weiss turned around, just in time to see the fluttering red cloak of her partner vanishing inside the opening, the wicked laughter filling the church's interior as Rose Petals drifted in the air. She blinked. Twice. Three times. The only sound coming from inside was her partner's voice _"they are caaaaliiing meee!"_

"WAIT; RUBY!" activating her white glyphs, the pale woman skated the distance, jumping as fast as she could inside the opening. She drew Crown and commanded her fire dust to light the sword's blade, as she kept skating down the ladder, following her leader's laughter. "RUBYYY!" she shouted, landing at a narrow, stone-made tunnel, before accelerating once more, to reach her-

She stopped. Ruby was standing right in front of her, her form half-covered in the darkness, illuminated only by Weiss' flaming sword. Her wide grin shone in the reflection of the fire dust and her bloody eyes were gazing at her "what do you want? I am sorry, but I have something I need to do."

"You are not being yourself, Ruby. What is happening to you?" She stopped grinning "I am going to use the power of the pool of light- to heal Jaune." "Get back to your senses, Ruby!" "NO! _YOU_ GET BACK TO YOUR SENSES! I AM USING THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING-POOL!" her screaming made Weiss flinched; Ruby rarely screamed-and only for very good reasons.

The girl stepped forward, a serious expression plastered over her face. Weiss' eyes opened wide as she saw a weird, red-black mist slowly creeping around her. "JAUNE DESERVES IT! I DESERVE IT!" the mist started to rise, making Weiss draw her swords; whatever that thing was, she had to find a way to kick it- the image of a shadow, filled with malice and hugging Ruby while staring at her with sharp, predatory eyes suddenly appeared behind the red girl.

That was the final straw. Activating her time dilation glyph with Crown, Weiss shot forward, Myrtenaster pointing at the girl's feet. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and reacted with incredible- even by her standards- speed, smashing Weiss' outstretched arm away, before spinning on her leg to kick the fencer in the stomach.

Surprised by the sudden brutality and insane reaction time of the reaper, Weiss barely managed to hold Crown in order to- Ruby punched her in the face, dropping her on the ground. A second, jet-fast punch slammed Weiss' petite frame down, kicking the air out of her lungs. Before she even managed to gasp in pain, Ruby kicked her weapons away and stood above her, red eyes filled with hatred as she readied her rifle for shooting.

"Why do you guys get to be happy" cyan locked on red, Weiss trying to contain her pain "while I get to spend my days in a hospital room, talking to a living corpse?" Weiss' mouth moved, her lips curling upwards to form a gentle smile "you are aiming Crescent Rose at me, Ruby."

Ruby blinked, as if trying to comprehend what she meant. "Are you really going to shoot me, partner?" "Yes" she raised the weapon slowly once more, the mist slowly moving- and then Ruby's hands trembled, as her finger hovered over the trigger. Her lips slowly parted "sister?" Ruby dropped Crescent Rose, her entire body shaking in anger.

"Who are you?" she asked, making Weiss confused. Her eyes had turned back to silver "GET OUT OF MY HEAD! STOP LOOKING AT ME WITH THESE RED EYES!" the mist swirled around the brunette, who had fallen on her knees, clutching her head.

With a quick motion of her left arm, Weiss threw a crystal just behind her friend, hitting the miasmatic cloud head on just before she grabbed her rapier and conjured a wall to shelter them from the blast that shook the entire cave to its core.

-0-

"How much time do you think has passed?" Ruby's voice echoed in the empty tunnel as she walked back towards the staircase. "Enough time for Blake and Yang to get worried, unless they got into some trouble of their own as well" Weiss replied, currently in a piggy-back ride in her partner's back. "I see the stairs- we will be there soon."

"Thank Dust- I still shiver from what happened down there." They started climbing the stairs "about that, Weiss…" "Don't worry; whatever that was, it wasn't you." "That doesn't change the fact I shouted at you Weiss…" another few steps up "I became angry at your happiness…" Weiss felt her trembling "…I called Jaune a living corpse…" she clenched her teeth "I nearly shot you with my baby."

"I know" Weiss replied gently, hugging her leader's body as she moved a few steps more- the light coming out of the altar was now visible from the opening above them. "I only want to ask one thing, Ruby. Do you really hate-" "Don't even think about it!" the voice replying to Weiss was hoarse and strained, accompanied by sniffs and pants- Ruby was crying.

"I could never, ever hate you, or Blake, or Yang. You are my team; my sisters, my family. Exploiting my love for Jaune… making me say these things to you…that vile bastard." "You swore; that's a bad sign- you only swear when you are mad."

"I am not mad; I am furious. I want to grab my babe, get down there and kill that thing- whatever it is. But we will do it the proper way- after we get you to have some rest."

They carefully crawled out of the trapdoor, Ruby immediately pushing the mechanism back in its place, putting all of her remaining strength behind her effort. Muscles flared, her body quivered, her hands got bloodied. But it was nothing- nothing compared to the pain she had inflicted upon her partner.

The stone finally gave in and Ruby sealed the entrance completely, panting and gasping for breath. "Are you all right? That seemed exhausting." "Fine" she replied "I am fine" she trembled, the adrenaline rush slowly leaving her body. "You are not."

"I know; I just…don't want to talk about it right now. I promise I will." She smiled to her friend "but at this moment, I only want to get you to rest- then we will talk."

Weiss nodded, as she gently put her arm underneath Ruby's, helping her to stand up. "Let's go then; I am sure Yang and Blake must be worried sick right now."

Slowly and tenderly, the pair supported each other's arms and exited the church grounds, moving through the thin fog out in the narrow road, trying their best to discreetly reach Pale Mansion.

"What are you two doing out here?!"

And failing in the most spectacular way.


	7. Into the Woods

**Chapter 7 is up. I hope you enjoy it. **

**I am doing it again, but I will once more thank you all so much for reading the story; I am trying my best to make it enjoyable to all of us. **

**Special thanks to Reaper of Heroes and Mojo1586 for helping me improve the writing style with their comments. **

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It took no more than ten minutes for the bumblebee team to reach a large, two-floor mansion with a considerable-sized, snow covered garden filled with chestnut trees. A beautifully crafted iron fence- the only one the girls had seen so far- surrounded the estate, its entrance illuminated by a pair of antique-looking dust powered lamps.

In front of the gate, however, seemed to be a commotion; two armed men were shouting at a woman, who was screaming back at one of them in an exaggerated and over the top manner.

"Oh-ho" Yang playfully exclaimed, giving a side glance at Blake, who nodded "just be civil; don't aggravate them too much." The blonde grinned "I am known all around Vale for my good manners, kitty."

She removed her hat, fixed her less than suitable for this weather attire and strode forward, grinning widely "sup, everyone? You are being really loud, you know."

All three of them turned around to look at her; the woman was at her mid-forties, with elegant features, a pleasant looking face with long black hair and matching deep eyes. She wore what looked like a very expensive poncho in pale color.

The man next to her was forty-something too, with pale skin, dusty-looking black hair and washed away green eyes. He was slightly plump, his expensive black coat looking a little too tight on him.

The third person was thin and a lot younger, about her age, with whitish hair and black eyes. He was the only one among them carrying a gun with him and he was wearing a uniform under his long brown coat. Both men wore the same pendant as the Mayor and the Innkeeper did.

"Who are you, now?" the young one said, his voice slightly hostile. "Aren't you supposed to tell someone your name before asking theirs?" she giggled, almost _hearing_ Blake's eye roll from behind her. "You are the one who interrupted us, uncalled" the older guy remarked.

Yang faked thinking it for a few seconds "hey, you are right, sorry. My name is Yang Xiao Long, huntress extraordinaire, and this is my partner" she pointed towards the faunus who was standing a couple steps behind her "Blake Belladonna."

The boy scoffed, but the other two looked at them "are you members of team RWBY?" the woman asked with a hint of hope in her voice. "Half of it, actually. The others are…"

Blake moved forward, donning a more professional-looking expression "…on their way" she added flatly, putting her hand on the blonde's shoulder "us two arrived earlier than expected."

"That's great!" the man replied, visibly happier now. "I am Isaac Pale and this is my wife, Bonette." "Pleased to meet you both" Yang turned her head toward the other one "you don't have a name, pal?"

The man visibly scoffed, not even pretending to be polite "I have more important things to do" he turned to the Councilor "Sir, we have to hurry, remember? We don't have time for them."

Both huntresses sighed deeply. "What are you talking about, Cyril? They will help us with the investigation!" Ignoring Cyril's protests, Pale turned to Blake "two members of the search party got lost in the woods an hour ago. Sheriff Cloud tried to locate them, but we haven't heard of him since then, too."

Blake's cat ears perked atop "you were searching in the woods this late at night?" "We are looking for a missing person, lady" Cyril replied making Yang tighten her metal fingers.

"What's your problem?" she narrowed her eyes. "My problem is we are wasting time on you instead of doing something, that's my problem." The blonde fumed, taking one step forward before her partner interjected.

"Yang, stop" the faunus spoke, her voice still flat and emotionless "he is right about wasting time anyway. Sir" she turned to Pale "show us the way, please. We might be able to look for them more efficiently." "Thank you so much; we are grateful. Cyril, stop groaning and lead the way."

"Are you sure about that, Blakey?" Yang whispered to her partner as they both strode through the town, following the two men. "Risky it might be, but we can't just sit by and wait- even without Grimm around, the woods is far from safe. The possibility of them having broken a leg or something and freezing to death right now is not one we can ignore."

Yang nodded "you sound like Rubes now." The faunus smiled "Am I? That's a good thing." "Quit talking and keep moving!" the deputy's voice sounded from ahead them as they reached the woods. "I will seriously beat the crap out of him when we get back, kitty."

All four of them moved towards the outing, where they could see seven people waiting for them, with dust lanterns in hand. Two of them had guns as well- too few for the pair's taste. "Who are these two, Cyril?" a tall, muscular boy holding a carbine asked. "They are two of the huntresses I asked for, Ray" Isaac Pale replied.

"Sir" another voice from behind the man continued "we discussed it with the Mayor already; we don't need them." "All right, that's enough!" Yang took a few steps forward, her eyes emanating a partially red glow.

"We are here to help you; not destroy your village. What's the matter with all of you, people? There are four of you lost somewhere out there right now" she pointed further towards the forest "and instead of being happy we are here, you complain? You act as if you don't want us to find them!"

"We will find them on our own, Miss" another guy, tall with washed away blonde hair, stepped forward. He had a harsh look on his face, his blue eyes staring down at her. "You can't barge in as if you own the place- and I know the Mayor asked you to keep out of our business."

"You know what; I've had enough of this" Blake walked next to Yang "you don't want our help, that's fine. It suits us the best. But you can't stop us from searching on our own. Will you join us, Mr. Pale?"

"Of course I will" the man walked towards them "and after we return with the sheriff, the Mayor, you and I will have a very serious talk, Mr. Cotton" he added in an angry manner, following after the huntresses as every other group spread out to search in another part of the woods.

Their boots slowly tread through the snow as the three of them moved through the path, Blake leading the way and the others behind her, with Mr. Pale holding their only lamp. "Your fellow villagers have behavior issues, Councilor" Yang said, after brushing away a snow-covered branch.

"They always disliked strangers to be honest" the man replied. "To that extent?" Blake exhaled and tugged her overcoat tighter. "They were very suspicious of me in the beginning, too. After I talked to Mayor Abbey about my honest interest in the White Altar, they accepted me as one of their own."

They all stopped for a few seconds, the faunus lowering her gaze, carefully examining the ground "someone recently passed through this place; the snow is messed around in a straight line."

"Could he be the sheriff?" her partner asked "I don't know; mild the snowfall it may be, but it still stops me from identifying tracks. Sir, are you sure no other team entered that deep before us?"

"Almost certain." She got up and nodded "let's continue this way then." They started walking again, Yang immediately jumping back to the previous conversation "I noticed your wife doesn't wear your holy symbol; not a fan?"

"Yang, could you at least pretend to be sensitive?" her partner groaned from their front "Mr. Pale is-" "a person who wants your help at this moment" he cut her off. "I appreciate your professionalism, Ms. Belladonna, but there is no need to concern yourself over that."

He turned to Yang again "Right now, I am an anxious father and friend before everything else. And to answer you, Ms. Xiao Long, no she is not a fan of our religion. She simply accepts it, albeit a little begrudgingly."

The blonde chuckled "thanks for keeping it simple" she gave him a friendly pat on the back "and don't worry; we will find your daughter and your friend, who I guess is Mr. Cloud?" Isaac bit his lip "he is a family friend; worked as my bodyguard for a few years, too. Good man, way too obsessed with his work, so he never made any family."

He jumped over a bush, brushing off the snow from his arms "when we built our house here, I supported him becoming the sheriff. It was supposed to be a simple job, since in its two years of existence, there have been no crimes around; everyone obeys the peaceful doctrine of the Altar."

"Let me guess. Communal lifestyle and polite behavior to no end?" Blake turned to their left, jumping over another thorny bush. "Yes, the Altar supports the concept of preserving the ideal place; this heaven on earth its six founders managed to reach. A holy land, safe from the creatures of Grimm. Here, everyone can live peacefully. I-"

He stopped for a second, making both girls stop moving and turn at him "Melia is 17; she is a huntress in training and a fan of your team leader, Ms. Rose. She wants to attend Ozpin Academy so much."

They started moving once more, before he continued "normally I visit the village on my own; the reason I brought everyone with me, was so they would be able to see for themselves this place."

Yang shook her head "you hoped she would change her mind." "I am ashamed to say, but yes. I…just couldn't bear the idea of my girl training to fight the same monsters that we saw rampaging through Beacon five years ago."

"I guess she didn't take that too well, did she?" the blonde asked in a concerned voice. "We had a few heated arguments about that back at home, even the day before she disappeared" he added bitterly.

"I…can understand that" Yang replied. "Our team leader, Ruby, is my little sister. Before everything started, before she trained to become the hero she is, we fought a lot about her becoming a huntress. I felt the exact same thing at some point." Blake looked back at her partner, smiling softly. "And what did you do, then?" Mr. Pale asked.

She laughed, a fond memory of her childhood bursting through her mind "my father told me that it was more important to help her be who she wants, than force her be who I want to. It's one of the few great things he said- keep it in mind when we rescue her and you talk about it."

He allowed a small smile to grace his lips, as all of them reached the meeting point, a small outing behind a thick tree line. Blake nodded them to stop as she stealthily scouted the area. He turned to Yang again "I will keep that in mind, thank-"

"Come in- and be careful" the raven-hair girl cut him off, her voice much more emotionless than before. Yang walked first and Isaac followed suit, the blonde lowering her head and suppressing a curse before stepping by and allowing him to take a view of the scene.

In the middle of the opening, three pools of frozen blood were spread, the tiny snowflakes falling through the trees slowly piling up on top of the red stains. In the nearest of them was a broken lamp, its shards scattered around, and two small black objects.

Blake slowly moved towards it, enough for her eyes to recognize one small-caliber handgun and a flare gun. "Think they belonged to them?" Yang asked her partner, standing next to her. "Unless we forgot anyone else" Blake replied in a saddened voice.

"No… for Altar's sake, no!" Isaac Pale fell to his knees, his hands covering his mouth while he tried his best to not vomit. Tears started running down his face, the bloody mess not only confirming his worst fears about the men's fate, but stirring up his suppressed terror about his daughter as well.

Yang quickly reached to him, helping the poor man stand. "Have some water" he took a sip, washing away the bile climbing up his throat. "Do you feel any better?" He licked his lips and spat "just a little, thanks a lot Ms. Xiao Long." She gave off a weak smile.

"This is so weird…" Blake's voice came from behind them, making Yang turn around and look at the cat faunus. "What does she mean?" the man asked. The huntress gave off a weak laugh "well, she is talking about the missing bodies, sorry to put it this way."

"I am afraid I don't get it." "To put it bluntly, Sir" Blake continued "Grimm and wild beasts attack humans, but they don't eat everything. There should be…remains of them on the ground." "Maybe…they ran away?" he asked with a little tinge of hope in his voice.

Yang sighed, before shaking her head in dismissal, snow falling off her cowboy hat. "With so much blood missing? Hardly. And we would have seen blood trails of them moving away."

"That's another thing baffling me, Yang. Even if it completely disposed of them, how did the killer leave this place without disrupting the scene? There are no footprints" she checked both guns "their weapons are fully loaded and the only sign they were attacked and killed is the broken lamp, the guns and their blood on the ground."

The tall woman raised her head, looking towards the trees "maybe some airborne Grimm took them out?" Blake clicked her tongue "under such thick canopies? Without them spotting it, or hearing it quickly enough to take cover, or at least shoot a few rounds? Sheriff Cloud is an ex-huntsman." "You do have a point there, kitten."

Blake stood up, wrapping the two guns in a towel and putting them in her bag. _An impossible attack… three people dead on top of a disappearance… vanishing corpses without a trace…_

"…_**they surpass everything you think you knew about Grimm…"**_

Salem's voice suddenly flashed in her mind, slowly crawling from a dark corner of her memories. _Could it be…no, calm down Blake. This is a long shot by all means. There is no evidence behind-_

Her cat ears perked, the faint sound of leaves rustling, despite the lack of wind, altering Blake to the presence of others. "Yang" she said, without raising her voice "we have movement at your nine."

Lilac eyes narrowed, as Yang slowly shifted towards the location, allowing Ember Celica to cock in place, putting herself between the Councilor and anyone who was coming at them. A few steps away, Blake slowly drew Nightfall, the lava-red blade shining at the dim light of Pale's lamp.

The sound of rustling leaves grew, now audible by all three of them, accompanied by another sound- heavy breathing. A few meters away from them, the bushes rustled, branches snapped and the sound became heavier as a pair of Grimm entered the outing.

Both huntresses opened their eyes in surprise; the medium-sized creatures in front of them were definitely Grimm; to Yang, they reminded her of The Apathy.

They had a black human-like form, with long, clawed bony legs, arms and torso, a white bony mask had replaced their face and a pair of wicked red eyes shone hungrily through their sockets.

But that was where their similarities with any other Grimm they had ever seen ended. Their wide open mouths had no teeth, save for two pairs of long, sanguine-red canines. At the top of their skulls, huge, black bat-like ears protruded from the mask. Their bodies were surrounded by a thin, dark mist that Yang swore _smelled_ evil, if that was an acceptable description.

The two creatures stared at them, tilted their heads as if seizing the two women, and filled the night with an eerie howl that sent the man behind them screaming on the ground, before charging at their prey.


	8. Late at Night

**Hello everyone! I...have actually nothing more to say, than thanks a lot again for keeping up with my story so far! I hope you like today's chapter! **

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The Grimm attacked with such a surprising speed that Yang got forced to jump backwards as Mr. Pale took refuge at the base of a tree behind her.

It stretched its clawed arm towards her, but the blonde ducked underneath the bony appendage and sent a couple powerful punches to its gut, using Celica to add to their force. The force of the impact was so powerful that it threw her enemy away, rolling on the ground.

At the corner of her eye, Blake blinked around her enemy, using Nightfall to send a series of quick slashes as the creature only went after the faunus' clones, failing to even mount a proper defense.

Yang started to move- a sound of movement made her turn back as the creature, visibly unharmed, rose from the snow, gnarling at her. _What the heck in going on? That attack now could demolish an Ursa Major! _

She saw that Blake's sword had also inflicted zero damage to the other one, as the quick and seemingly deadly cuts were instantly getting closed. _How sturdy are these things?_

Blake, on her side, was equally troubled. For starters, the Grimm had a very decent speed and reaction time, forcing her to be constantly on the move and using her semblance more than she felt happy with.

In addition, that dark mist healed every wound Nightfall inflicted on it. As it ran towards her, she spun on her left leg, kicking the thing's legs in order to jump away.

The creature, to her horror, charged not at her but at her landing spot. For a split second, the image of a tall, blonde faunus pouncing on her helpless body flashed through her eyes, disturbing her footwork.

"Sun- AGH!" The clawed arm sliced at her belly, rattling her aura before the girl cleared her mind and managed to blink away again, holding her stomach in pain.

Yang watched her partner getting hit, clenching her teeth in anger. Her own enemy ran towards her in a rather simplistic way, making the blonde ready her fist to break its- "YANG! ABOVE YOU!"

She realized her mistake a little late, her lilac eyes seeing the Grimm stopping away from her reach, one heartbeat before thin mist fell on her back from the trees above.

To Blake's horrified eyes, the mist transformed into a third creature that sliced at the brawler's back, taking away a large chunk of her aura and eliciting a pained scream from her.

The pain coursed through her body, as the first one tried to attack her, sharp teeth wide open to tear at her throat, while the other aimed for her flank, letting her only a moment to defend. She needed no more.

Without turning around, she hit the creature from behind her with her metal elbow, then lowered her entire body and spun around to swipe its torso away.

As the first attacker fell upon her, she hastily jumped on her feet to change her body direction and sent a powerful artillery shot on its creepy face.

Not even bothering to hold back, she somersaulted backwards, unleashing three more artillery shots at the things, filling the outing with the smell of gunpowder and smoke.

Meanwhile, the third one jumped at Blake, trying to once more take advantage of the ground the faunus was giving away. It didn't notice the woman drawing her semi-automatic handgun, however.

Yellow eyes narrowed, as the cat girl teleported away on her target's back and emptied Envelop on it, totally shattering its head.

"Wow" Yang exhaled "that was truly something. I haven't fought Grimm that cunning since that Ancient Nevermore on top of Salem's tower." "It was truly tough. Mr. Pale" she turned to the man "are you ok?" "I-I… yes?"

She moved to him, but her instincts suddenly screamed at her. Blake, reflexively, turned her sword around and blocked the attack from the enemy who not only had gotten up without its head, but was slowly _reforming_ it as it pushed her blade with its claws.

Yang bit a curse back- Weiss had told her she swore too much- as she saw the annihilated corpses of her own two opponents, unlike any normal Grimm, slowly reforming, growling at the huntress. She blasted them again.

"All right; these officially replaced Neo as the most annoying enemy ever" she announced, as she rocket-propelled herself away from the other two, slamming Blake's enemy on the torso.

The Grimm lost its balance, allowing the cat faunus to slice off its feet and cut a huge wound on its body. "Thanks for that" she huffed, as her partner punched the reforming corpse away.

"You are running low on aura." "That hit from before took a lot more than expected and I have been overusing my semblance, too. Those things" she pointed at the still regenerating enemies "are a serious threat." Yang nodded "Let's go then. Can you run?" Blake nodded again.

Before the three things behind them got up and started slowly moving, the two huntresses had already grabbed the Councilor and made a run for the central meeting point. "Sorry for the rough handling" Yang shouted to the man who was literally tossed over her shoulder "but you would slow us down." "Ah-aaa"

"I think the shock was kinda too much for him" she groaned. In front of her, Blake took the flare gun out of the bag, checking it had three colors of dust flares in. "What color is emergency retreat, Yang?" The blonde narrowed her eyes for a second "Ahm, blue, I think."

Without breaking their pace, Blake shot the blue flare upwards, hoping that everyone inside the forest would be able to see it, despite the thick canopy. Not that they could do anything else, anyway.

Stopping here and allowing these three- if these were the only ones- to engage them again, was out of the question, especially with a civilian among them.

They managed to get to the outing, seeing a few figures moving out towards them- fortunately they were villagers, holding their lamps. "What happened? Are you ok? Is Mr. Pale-"

"Is everyone here?" Blake asked between her panting. "Besides those who were already sent home, yes! What happened?" one of the men shouted at her.

"Grimm ambush. The sheriff and the others have been dead for a while. We have to go before they return. We can't protect all of you in such a vulnerable position!"

It might have been their scared expression, the state of the Vale Councilman or the urgency on the faunus voice; regardless what, no man objected and almost immediately everyone started running towards the village, Blake and Yang standing rear guard.

For such an eventful night, they all managed to reach Yugure with no additional problems. Many women and children were standing there, probably woken up by the sounds of combat or the flare, confusion and worry on their faces. All of them wore the same religious pendant; Yang found the spectacle a little creepy.

Among the bombarding of questions, the tears of happiness for the ones who returned and the cries of sorrow for the fate of the three lost men, both huntresses managed to slip by the crowd, just before they spotted their teammates.

They were sitting on a bench, next to the Mayor's office. Both girls looked like they had been in battle, with Weiss seemingly disoriented. In front of them was standing that ass of a Mayor, who signed to the bumblebee pair to move towards them.

Both girls ran at their friends, Yang completely ignoring the man as she knelt in front of them, ruffling Ruby's hair. "Are you ok, Rubes?" The girl replied with as much cheerfulness as she could muster right now.

"Thanks to Weiss, yes." Yang smiled at Weiss, who returned the expression, opening her beautiful blue orbs in an alluring- _you know what; screw it_.

She pecked her girlfriend's pink lips and then wrapped her in a warm hug, allowing the visibly tired woman to nuzzle on her nape. "What happened to you two, Ruby?" Blake asked. "This is exactly what I would like to hear, as well as what occurred inside the woods, ladies" Abbey added.

After some time, both parties had finished explaining to the Mayor and to each other their respective experience. Ruby, on her part, omitted her own involvement in Weiss' injuries, blaming everything in the shadow. From both her sister's and Blake's expressions, she knew they didn't believe her. She could only hope the Mayor wasn't as sharp.

"In other words, while your friends tried to actively help us and nearly sacrificed themselves for the sake of my people, you two were busy snooping around our Holy Place. I am so disappointed in you" the short man said.

"Hey, cut her some slack. She found a hidden tunnel under that Holy Place of yours; something _you_ failed to find" Yang leveled her gaze on him. "No, Yang. He is right" Ruby got up and gently bowed in front of him, earning a raised eyebrow

"I am deeply sorry about that incident, Sir. As the leader of team RWBY, I will take full responsibility about it. So, please, if you could limit the penalty only to me, I would be very grateful."

Yang and Blake tried to protest, but their leader silenced them with a glare- something Ruby had picked during her one year leading expeditions in Vacuo.

Joseph Abbey slumped his shoulders and scratched his chin "normally, after something that severe, I would send you away without a second thought and file a complaint towards your Unit. But, you did discover something down there, and your teammates saved lots of my people tonight. I guess I can make do with just a simple penalty."

"I will take it too" Weiss' low-key voice was heard as she rose form Yang's side. "Weiss, I said I will take responsibility for coming up with this."

The girl huffed in annoyance "then I will take responsibility for not stopping you when I should." Then Blake added "and I, for not telling you it was a bad idea." Yang looked around, before exclaiming "me too, for not, ehm, being there."

Ruby opened her mouth and tried to complain, before the Mayor cut her off. "This gets us nowhere. Fine" he said "if you are so willing to share the punishment, that's what we will do."

He turned to Ruby "you will be helping with patrolling the village as long as you will be staying here. What do you think?" Yang jumped up, much to Weiss' frustration "Hey, that's practically-"

"It is fine, Sir. Thank you very much for your understanding." The little reaper interjected. "Great" he smirked "take tonight to rest, you will begin tomorrow. And don't pull anything like this again, Ms. Rose. I will not be so kind next time."

Yang restrained herself from commenting on the man's kindness as he slowly walked away. As soon as he was outside of hearing range, the pair turned to the crimson girl, who was looking at them sheepishly; she knew what was coming.

"I will not say anything about wanting to take all the blame yourself, Ruby. But I want to hear what truly happened; for you to outright lie to a man's face, it must have been really important." Blake deadpanned.

Instead of Ruby, Weiss replied "I told her to; he wouldn't believe us and there is no reason to stir them before we can establish a logical explanation." Yang titled her head "ehm, what?"

"I will tell you everything, but not out here. Let's go to the inn and get some rest." "About that; Ms. Pale offered to let us stay with them, as a thanks for saving her husband" the faunus added.

"Even better" Ruby smiled "Weiss had been complaining about needing a hot bath and a good meal for some time before you came." A pair of blue eyes narrowed "It's not my fault trail rations taste atrocious" the ex-heiress groaned as they all started walking towards their clients' mansion.

Ruby let a satisfied sigh as her body soaked into the warm bath. She allowed the warmth to spread through her skin, enjoying the feeling before starting to scrub the dirt off her.

Their hosts had been more than hospitable so far; Ms. Pale had excused herself quite soon as she wanted to stand by her currently resting husband and her two boys she had pried away from Yang's bear hugs, with no small effort mind you.

However, she had provided them with a couple guest rooms and two servants at their disposal in case team RWBY required anything during the rest of the night, including a meal waiting for them downstairs when they were ready to eat.

Ruby took some shampoo and started rubbing her hair, carefully enough not to damage the strands. She smiled a little; she had never been one to take care of such things before. She thought them as being too girly and to an extent still did.

It only took Jaune to tell her how much he loved caressing her hair for 19-year-old and smitten back then Ruby to start getting concerned about something more than just being awesome.

She lowered her head. _Jaune…_ no matter how much she wanted to hide it, his current condition weighted heavily in her heart. Heavily enough for something to take advantage of that and nearly make her shoot Weiss's head off! The very thought made her shiver.

She started rubbing off her arms and torso, avoiding putting so much pressure on her belly, where a wide circular stab wound from a very sharp parasol resided- it didn't hurt her a lot, but she still had a few reservations about messing with it.

She then rubbed her fist; it was covered in semi-frozen, caked blood. _Not yours_, she reminded herself. _It's Weiss'. You know, your best friend? The one who supposedly consider your second sister? The one you nearly killed today? _

"DAMN!" Ruby screamed splashing her fist into the water. "Ruby?" Weiss called from outside the bathroom "are you all right?" _No, I am not_ "Yes, I will be out in a minute!"

She finished washing away the soap and stepped out of the bath, wrapping her body in a towel, when the door slammed open, revealing a very angry Weiss.

"Hey, Weiss! What-" the woman moved inside and grabbed Ruby from her towel's hem "if you ever lie to me again for such a thing, I will slap you!" Ruby's eyes opened wide "Wha-"

Weiss glared at her; even now, standing considerably shorter than the brunette, she could be pretty intimidating. "You. Suck at lying. Especially when talking to me. Am I understood?" Ruby lowered her head, trembling "I am sorry…I am so sorry…"

"Ruby…" Weiss' anger instantly dissipated, the pale girl letting go of the towel and hugging her partner instead. "Why are you tormenting yourself like this? I told you I don't blame you for being taken over back there."

She sniffed, her wet hair sending hot droplets to her partner's neck "I did…say such terrible things to you…" Weiss closed her eyes and patted her back "you didn't mean them." She hugged her tighter "but I still said them, Weiss. You don't understand."

She bit her lips "I felt it. At that point, I could feel it, Weiss! I was so angry, so angry at you. At Yang, at Blake. I was angry at you, being happy! I wanted to hurt you, do you understand? I wasn't in control, but whoever did this, made me want to hurt you!"

The pale girl didn't reply; instead, she rubbed Ruby's soft hair. "When I snapped out of it, when I realized I was going to shoot you, I…I have never felt so pathetic in my life!"

"Ruby…" Weiss whispered. "And even worse, you didn't accuse me of this! You just dismissed it, as if it was nothing bad! As if I am allowed to feel this way!" the dam broke and Ruby started crying in the ex-heiress' hug.

"I love you… all…so much!" Weiss squeezed Ruby back "We love you too, out dolt of a leader" she said. "That is true, even when you are acting stupid, like now" a serious, yet warm voice was heard from behind them, as Blake and Yang stepped inside, standing on the bathroom's door.

The blonde looked at them and immediately grinned; flashing her pure white teeth in a teasing manner "I expect there is a very good reason for my girlfriend hugging my totally naked sister in the bathroom, right?"


	9. The Queen's Last Words

**Hello everyone, how are you doing? I noticed that in many cases in my previous uploaded files, any mark I tried to use in order to separate different scenes in the same chapter failed to get uploaded properly, making the text even more confusing. I deeply apologize and hope that this will not be the issue from today's chapter and on. **

**With that out of my chest, here is chapter 9. A quick thanks to everyone who still keeps up with the story- I really appreciate and love you all. **

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"You stupid sis!" Yang fumed, causing her sister to lower her head in shame. "How could you think that you would hide something like that from me?" she ruffled Ruby's hair, allowing her to fall into Yang's embrace.

"I am so sorry… I am just so ashamed of myself… letting that thing control my love for Jaune... making me _jealous_ of you." She spat the word as if her soul couldn't hold it anymore.

"Love is a powerful emotion, Ruby" the faunus rubbed their leader's back. "And is very easily exploited. Just because this thing made you feel like this, it doesn't make you a bad person. It just makes you human."

"Blake…" Ruby smiled at her friend. "Blakey is right" Yang turned around and looked at Weiss who had just finished changing for the dinner, being extra careful to not stress her battered arm too much.

"If Weiss was in that hospital room, I am sure I would be far worse than you, Rubes. You are doing an amazing job, considering what the world threw at you; don't sell yourself short, especially when it is us you are talking to."

"Thank you, all" she beamed at her friends, earning a grin from Yang, a soft smile from Blake and a gentle smirk from her partner. "Sometimes you can be so stupid, despite being so smart" Yang gently nudged her.

"It must run in the family" Weiss exclaimed. "I second that" Blake immediately added. Both girls looked at each other and nodded in appreciation, grinning widely.

"Very funny you two" the blonde narrowed her eyes "I dare you to say that next time you visit Patch; especially you, double-crossing Princess." Weiss smirk grew "Taiyang loves me. Besides, I promised to not get involved in family matters didn't I?"

A few giggles escaped Ruby and Blake's mouths, immediately however interrupted by a knock on the door. Weiss opened it, to find a tall, fair-skinned bald man with a butler's attire standing in front of her.

"If the ladies would wish, dinner will be served in twenty minutes. Ms. Pale insists to let her show you her gratitude for saving Mr. Pale by attending it."

Weiss nodded in all her elegance with a small court nod. "Thank you very much, Mr. Pullman. We will be there on time." The man bowed and left, as Weiss turned to her teammates. "Get dressed" she smiled sweetly "now!"

-o-

The dining room was very luxurious and well-furnished, with a large chandelier pleasantly illuminating it. An impressive display of appetizing food was spread all over the table, much to the huntresses' delight.

Ms. Pale was seated at the table's head, wearing an elegant yet casual looking white dress. On her left sat Ruby and Weiss, with Blake and Yang on her right.

"I trust you like the food?" the woman said, looking at the tall girl who had just stuffed her mouth with a huge piece of beef. Weiss glared daggers at her lover before replying "It is excellent; we are so thankful for the meal and for your hospitality, Ms. Pale."

The woman smiled, sipping some red wine "your teammates saved my husband's life, Ms. Schnee. What I am offering you is dreadfully simple in comparison, so don't worry about it."

"Speaking of Mr. Pale; how is he?" Blake asked. "He is shaken, but the therapist gave him a couple sedatives. Some rest will help him recover in a few days; I only hope my daughter will be around to see him by then" she added in a sad tone.

"She will" Ruby replied. "We will do anything we can to find Melia, Ms. Pale. Be sure about it." The woman smiled at Ruby- before the door opened and two boys stormed into the room, running towards her.

They both were very young, around 7-8 years old, with dark hair and black eyes. They ran past the table and jumped at the woman, tugging her dress. "Mommy!"

"Jet, Carbon" she addressed her twin sons "why aren't you asleep?" The boys pouted as one "we want to see Auntie Yang and her friends!" they whined.

Team RWBY exchanged stares to each other, before giggling at the boys' antics. "Where is sis? She should be around to-" Ms. Pale patted Jet's head and stood up "if you will excuse us ladies, I am going to put my sons to sleep."

"No fair! Sis always gets all the fun!" "Yeah, we want to stay up too." Weiss looked at Ruby and Blake, sadness having replaced their previous merry smiles. Yang, however, wiped her mouth with a napkin and got up.

"Hey boys" she walked next to them and knelt. "Hello Auntie Yang!" The first one replied. "Why are you giving your mum trouble?" she asked in a very caring and tender voice. "We want to see you- you promised to tell us how you got that cool arm!" the second one whined.

A pair of lilac eyes opened in surprise at the boy's request, only for Yang to grin widely. "Tell you what; if you follow your mom to bed now, I will come with you and tell you how I beat up this nasty Grimm and got that arm, ok?"

The boys hopped in happiness and left the room, a thankful Bonette Pale trying to stop them from running. "Be right back; leave my food alone" Yang winked and went after them.

After the door closed behind them, Blake sighed "Weiss, they are gone. You can stop gaping now." The white girl blinked towards the faunus "Wha-what are you talking about? Why would I be gaping at Yang now?"

Ruby got a huge bite of her 3rd serving of pudding "I have an answer, but you will kill me, so I will pass." Weiss glared at her partner "instead of acting smart how about we discuss the problem at hand?"

Ruby licked the spoon clean and nodded. "Ok, there are currently three things that must be dealt with. First, the Ghouls." Weiss narrowed her eyes "the what?"

"Ghouls. They are a type of undead in Vacuan literature." Blake interjected "I am impressed you know of them." Ruby smiled sheepishly "I decided to call the strange Grimm you and Yang fought this way."

"All right" Blake said. "Besides the new name, they displayed an impressive arsenal of abilities. Their physical strength and toughness were comparative to a creep's and only their speed was top-notch."

"There is a 'but' coming isn't it?" Ruby raised an eyebrow. "But" Blake emphasized on her word "they make up for their weaknesses with their immense regeneration skill. They are surrounded by a dark shroud that heals every wound we inflicted on them."

Weiss looked at Blake thoughtfully. "Did you try heavy rounds?" The cat girl tapped her chin "We used every sort of weapon we had and any-non dust rounds. They regenerated from it completely; even when I blew up one's head."

Ruby controlled a gasp. She didn't like this at all. "Anything else about them?" The faunus continued "they possessed remarkable intellect and were cunning enough to set an ambush to Yang. A less experienced huntsman would have great trouble dealing with them."

"That sounds dangerous indeed" Weiss said "so what are we going to do about it?" Ruby tapped her fingers on the table. "I propose to avoid them for now. As much as I want to take them on, Melia's life takes priority."

Both girls nodded in agreement as Ruby continued "I will ask the major to establish night patrols around the village and request to not allow anyone go in the woods unless escorted by us. We will deal with the Grimm as soon as we find Ms. Pale's daughter."

At this point Blake and Weiss were totally fixated on their team leader's words. "And that brings us on issues two and three; the fact that Melia was at some point in the hidden passage under the church and that something tried to control me down there."

Weiss frowned "Ruby, the Mayor's men checked the tunnel after they found us; it was a dead end, remember? Whatever was down there couldn't simply make Melia vanish. Not even Grimm can do that."

"You are right…" Ruby agreed "simple Grimm couldn't do that." Weiss and Blake's eyes opened wide; they knew exactly what Ruby meant with these words. "What about Eldergrimm then?"

"Ruby, we don't have enough evidence about that; it could simply be another Grimm or even someone's semblance." The reaper rolled her eyes "nobody has a semblance powerful enough to control other people's mind without making eye contact, Blake. Not even Emerald could do it."

"Still we have no evidence, Ruby. This could easily be wistful thinking on our part" Weiss added "we know nothing about this thing; we don't even know if it is a Grimm to begin with."

"I just… I can feel it Weiss; I can feel this wasn't something normal" she looked her partner in the eyes "do you remember what Salem said back then?"

Weiss and Blake exchanged looks of worry

_They surpass everything you know about Grimm_

_**Grimmlands, sometime during 84**_

Salem was sitting on her throne, blood oozing from her form, as her body slowly changed, her features returning back to the ones she had so long ago.

_Before the Gods, before the curse of immortality._ She let a small, bloodied smile form on her lips as she looked at Oscar's unconscious body on the floor.

She had stopped sensing Ozma from the boy quite some time ago, despite the vessel still being alive. That could only mean one thing- Ruby Rose had been right.

She let her blue eyes fall upon her adversary, who was lying down in her sister's arms, gasping for breath, red streaks of blood running down her eyes.

Between them, the Schnee and the faunus were standing, holding their weapons with as much power as their nearly-collapsing state could allow them to.

"You sacrificed so much…" she said. "So many lives, Ozma's reincarnation, your boy's mind, your power of light…all to take me down…" she saw the red girl smile, despite her pain "…it's time to rest, Salem. You have suffered enough; don't you think?"

She deepened her smile, allowing a tint of bitterness crawl up her voice. "Life…so precious after all… how foolish of me…" Salem took a gaze out of the window- the sky was dark red as always- it had been this way before her and would most likely continue after her.

"What are you going to do with the Relics? You have all of them, now. Will you succeed Ozma's legacy?" Blake answered this time "we won't."

Salem raised an eyebrow, before Blake continued "we will find some safe way to hide them, and that will be it. The Relics will never bother Remnant again; too much blood has been spilled because of them already."

She opened her eyes, despite the pain, in surprise before the Schnee continued. "The Gods, Ozma, you. Your era is over; you have done your fair share of good and evil in this world-"

"-some of you more evil than good" the blonde cut her off. "It's time for us now, Salem" Ruby's voice added "it's time for Remnant to be left at the hands of us humans- time for you to go home and meet Ozma after all that time."

Her heart floated at the mere thought of seeing him again. She exhaled deeply, feeling her power finally seeping away. "I am totally defeated…you won… but you will not rest…they will not let you." Three sets of eyes narrowed at her and even the lying girl tried to stand up.

"What do you mean? Who are they?" Salem spat bitterly "Eldergrimm. The first of the Grimm, created by the God of Darkness before every other Grimm came in existence."

"What sort of crap are you saying now?" the fiery blonde hissed "can't you simply admit your defeat without spewing lies on us?"

"I only speak the truth. The Darkness' ultimate life forms, given intelligence and power from Him in an ancient era where magic seeped into the world and humans didn't even exist as a concept."

She groaned "they far surpass everything you think you knew about Grimm. They are Pools of Death given life; or what in their case counts as life. Creatures that were praying on the light of this world long before I even came to be the Queen of the Grimm."

"You are lying…" the Schnee said, but Salem could feel the doubt in her voice "for your sake, I wish I were." The blonde got up; gently supporting her sister "She is obviously lying."

"If such powerful Grimm existed, why didn't you throw them on us? Why didn't you unleash them on the soldiers and huntsmen who accompanied us all the way here?" Ruby Rose asked her in an anxious voice.

Salem felt her life slowly leaving her body…it felt so sweet and merciful…like drifting to sleep… "I didn't because I couldn't. I sealed them in ancient magical tombs, long ago. I kept them sealed away, until they drifted out of history."

She looked at them, seeing the seeds of doubt filling their eyes; good. Stubbornness could lead one to ignorance and ignorance often lead to one's demise "after all these years passed, I became the only one who knew they existed."

"Why would you do that?" the faunus asked her, confusion in these yellow sharp eyes the last thing Salem saw before she closed hers.

"Because I couldn't control them."


	10. Bloody Mess

**Greeting everyone! Chapter 10 is out. Nothing to add besides my thanks for still keeping up with the story; hope you can continue enjoying it! **

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_**November 30, 85**_

"This makes no sense" Weiss exclaimed as she eyed the rock in front of her. She turned around, eyes falling upon her teammates who wore a similar frustrated expression while looking at the dead end they had stumbled upon.

After resting and waking up early in the morning, they had immediately rushed towards the Mayor's office to discuss Ruby's plans, all while getting prepared to force some common sense in his mind.

Pleasantly surprising them, the man not only agreed to her ideas but he also ordered Cyril and two more villagers to escort them to the tunnel. He claimed that they should try on their own, in case his people had missed something yesterday.

"It's as Mr. Abbey said" Cyril's annoyed voice sounded from the tunnel entrance behind them. "We got that, pal. You have told us five times already!" Yang groaned. "How about you let us work?"

The man bit a response and turned around to walk away "I will be at the trapdoor- use the wire to call me" he only said, pointing at the large wire they had drawn all across the tunnel.

"What a freaking jerk" the blonde hissed. "Yang, focus" Ruby cut her off. "I am, Rubes. I really am. But searching for hidden passages is not my forte and you know it- Alex would be very helpful right now."

Blake rolled her eyes "The girl can see everything in a radius around her via echolocation, Yang. She is not an x-ray machine." The blonde chuckled "sorry, my bad. I will apologize to her when we get back."

"You are rambling again…" Blake deadpanned. "I get it Yang; you are bored. But couldn't you-" she suddenly stopped, her eyes falling on a small, unusual edge on the wall. "I think I found something here."

As her teammates walked closer to her, she picked the edge and moved it out- releasing a small, well hidden lever. "How in dust did they manage to miss that?" Weiss' voice was heard.

"They didn't have me" Blake winked before raising the lever.

A low-key mechanical sound spread around in the tunnel, as team RWBY stepped back. The wall in front of them moved, slowly splitting in half as a pair of mechanical doors opened wide.

"This is way more advanced than what I expected" the Atlesian girl added. They all looked inside, but the pair of torches put on the wall by the locals barely managed to pierce the darkness.

Ruby picked out and opened her flashlight but, next to her, Blake's ears dropped flat before her leader managed to point it inside the opening. The faunus had been the first one to notice the sickening sweet smell of iron.

She had also been the first one to see that behind the moving walls was a circular room, totally sealed save for a small metal door on the opposing side of them. But that was not what caused her ears to fall- or her eyes to close in a sad expression.

In the middle of the room, briskly illuminated by Ruby's light, was the body of a girl, face down in a pool of nearly-dried blood. She had honey blonde hair and wore elegant-looking green clothes, all smeared with caked blood. A silver long sword was on the ground next to her.

"No…" Ruby rushed inside and knelt next to the girl, as Weiss and Yang followed, hanging another pair of torches to the walls. "She is dead" the team leader said.

"Quite some time already" her partner replied as she checked the girl's body "possibly even before we arrived- though I can't be sure."

"Poor girl- and poor Mr. and Ms. Pale..." Yang knelt next to her sister. "I have a clean piece of cloth with me; think you can help me cover her, Rubes?" Her sister complied and they both tenderly wrapped it around Melia Pale.

Ruby then turned to the monochrome pair. "We are taking her to the healer's office and then we will return this" she grabbed the sword "to the Pales. I want you two to start investigating the place."

"Don't you want me to go with Yang?" Blake said. "No. I want the smartest two of our team to work in here. Try to find out anything you can about this place and how Melia ended up this way."

"I agree with Rubes" Yang said. "We will be back as soon as possible. If you see of feel anything weird, contact the jerk and get out of here immediately."

Weiss and Blake exchanged stares and nodded, just before Yang gently picked up the girl's body and started walking behind Ruby towards the tunnel's entrance.

-o—

Ruby Rose loved being a huntress. She had been wanting this since she was a young girl listening to her sister's stories about huntsmen's and huntresses' heroic deeds.

Even during the Salem War, she loved every single time she wrecked a Grimm, either with her beloved Crescent Rose or, during the War's latest years, with her silver eyes. She loved everything about her job.

There was, however one thing Ruby never managed to take well about being a huntress. Sure, she had been continuously exposed to it, especially when she returned home after the Grimmlands' expedition, but it never stopped hurting her.

She had always hated returning to a fallen huntsman's home with his/her weapon wrapped inside a bloodstained piece of fabric.

She had always hated seeing people cry over the loss of their loved ones while she could only whisper a trembled _'I am sorry.'_

As she stepped inside the Pale Mansion, she felt Pullman's eyes wander on her. Yang gently squeezed her shoulder and whispered encouraging words- as usual. She was grateful her sister was with her.

Because, like every other time, she knew that she couldn't have endured Ms. Pale's cries of agony if her sister hadn't been there with her.

-o—

"There is definitely some human involved in this" Blake deadpanned. "I agree" her teammate nodded "Grimm do not use secret doors; nor they utilize modern security locks" she pointed towards the metal door and the fancy-looking locking system on it.

"Which brings us to the second question- why would anyone want to drag this girl in here only to kill her?" the faunus questioned. "The most possible explanation would be for the girl to have seen something she shouldn't" Weiss replied.

"What would that be?" Blake bit her lips. "What could this door be hiding that it would be important enough to kill for?"

Weiss turned her head around, examining the lock "there are very few things worth killing for and I doubt one of them is behind this piece of metal."

"Hm…" Blake pondered "you are possibly right…" before Weiss could dignify her with a response, Blake felt a sharp pain in her head "Agh!" Her friend shot up, turning around.

"Are you ok, Blake?" Weiss asked, concern lacing her voice. "Yes, why?" she asked in confusion. "Well, you just seemed like you were in pain right now, did you hit your head somewhere?"

The black-haired girl turned to face the ex-heiress "I told you I am fine; besides since when do I need your help?"

Weiss got taken aback and carefully lowered her left arm. It was not the anger in Blake's voice, or the absurdity of her words, no. What made her grab Myrtenaster's hilt was something different.

"Blake…your eyes are red" she calmly stated.

"So what? Are you afraid?" Blake moved towards Weiss, who stepped back, matching the faunus' rhythm. The petite woman stopped right next to the emergency wire and gave two fierce tugs.

"You _are_ afraid…unbelievable. To think I actually look up to you…" Before Weiss could register what Blake said, the faunus' sword shot at her. Drawing Myrtenaster, Weiss conjured a shielding glyph just in time.

Nightfall's blade crashed the glyph, but it gave her enough time to dodge the attack. Weiss put Crown on the ground, lightning surging around her as she used the dime dilation Glyph, while Myrtenaster quickly spread an array of platforms all over the tunnel's surface.

Moving with lightning-fast speed from her double glyph activation, Weiss moved around like a blur, the only sound echoing through the passage coming from the occasional clash of the two girl's weapons, as Blake utilized her clones to keep on par with the white girl.

"Blake, please! Snap out of it!" she cried, as her two swords came in front of her, forming an X- shape to block Nightfall's thrust.

The weapon skidded on her blades and Weiss slammed at it with her elbow plating to throw Blake's balance off. She thrust forward, but sliced through a shadow clone.

Blake teleported behind her and used her sword's wires to entangle her left leg. She then pulled with all he force she could muster, before her target could properly react.

Weiss spun around, performing a pirouette as she felt Blake dragging her leg up, kicking the katana away. She was too late, however, to keep her balance.

Blake grabbed her left arm and twisted it, earning a pained gasp as Weiss dropped Myrtenaster. She then tossed her on the ground. "Blake! Please! I know you can do it! I don't want to fight you!"

The faunus laughed; a cold, chilling laughter that froze Weiss' blood. She recognized it- the same as possessed Ruby's. "Did you say the same thing to Winter before you killed her?"

The girl gasped. Even considering that Blake was possessed, it _was_ a low blow. It took her two seconds to compose herself and stand up again. As much as the shadow lurking right behind Weiss needed.

"Agh!" she only felt a slight pain at the back of her brain. She shook her head; it was fine, that pain was nothing. Compared to what she was going to do to Blake for bringing that up, that pain was nothing.

"Decided to fight after all?" she smiled smugly. "Stroke a nerve with Win didn't I?" Weiss' red eyes gleamed "Don't talk about my sister like that, you second-rate huntress who nearly killed her fiancé with her own hands."

"He lives, unlike-" "I SAID SHUT UP! DON'T PUT MY SISTER IN YOUR FILTHY ANIMAL MOUTH!" Weiss tackled Blake, eyes gleaming in hatred. "DIE!"

The black-haired girl punched her away and drew Envelop. She shot twice, but the ex-heiress was very close. Surprising her opponent, Blake didn't use her semblance to avoid Crown's thrust, the short sword slicing her arm and forcing her to lose her second weapon as well.

Blake head butted Weiss, causing her aura to rattle, while the alabaster girl kicked her calf, forcing her to fall on her knees. She answered with a punch to Weiss' stomach, who tossed Crown at her in a desperate attempt to stab her.

Easily avoiding the improvised projectile, Blake tackled Weiss sending her crash to the wall, before pouncing on her. All caution, tactics and training both girls had got thrown out of the window.

Common sense was the next one to leave them.

Both girls now were on each other, punching, biting, kicking and slamming. They didn't even speak; the only sound was of pained gasping and angry screaming.

Their auras finally gave in and blood splattered all around the place from the scratches and wounds they inflicted on each other, mingling with Melia's pool.

Finally, Blake managed to climb on top of Weiss, sitting on her torso as the white girl tried to claw her face. The faunus gripped her neck and started to squeeze her pale skin hardly, chocking her.

Dread overcame Weiss, as she moved her hands to Blake's, failing however to pry them away, as her body struggled to move.

Blake grinned triumphantly. A few more seconds…and she would do it. _She would kill Weiss. She would kill Weiss! She would kill Weiss… She would…kill Weiss?_ Her hands left the pale, slender neck, earning a pained gasp for breath.

Yellow met pale blue, as both girls locked gazes with each other. "Weiss?" "Blake?" Blake started trembling- her entire body trembled, dripping blood all over her friend's face.

Her face had turned white, her ponytail, soaked in red, trailing all over her bruised cheek and neck. "Weiss- Aaah…"

"Aaaahh…" the images came back at her, as realization dawned on the faunus' mind. _She had nearly killed Weiss! She had almost choked her teammate, her beloved friend, to death_!

"AAAHHHH!" Panic overcame the faunus, threatening to overcome all forms of self-control she had developed so far. She felt bad; she was sure she would have vomited in Weiss was not in front of her at the moment.

A pair of elegant hands gently cupped her head, as Weiss sat in front of her, blood running from her nose and cheeks.

"Breathe. Slowly… gently. That's it, keep on. I am here, Blake. I am alive… calm down. Breathe. That's it…" the faunus felt her teammate's cool skin on her burning face. It was soothing; as much as her friend's caring voice.

Carefully she cupped Weiss' hands with her own, glove-covered ones. "Thank you…" she whispered. "Do you feel any better?" a pair of calm blue eyes looked at her- one heavily swollen.

"I almost killed you, Weiss" she finally said. The girl removed her hands from Blake's cheeks. "In case you didn't notice" she pointed at Blake's bruised leg and bleeding hand "I tried to kill you as well."

"We have to get out of here, and return with some sort of plan" Weiss stood up. "Do you need help walking?" Blake tried her leg "it stings a little bit, but it shouldn't be a problem."

They walked towards the tunnel exit, slowly and steadily, continuously checking over their backs for any trace of the weird shadow. "I now understand how Ruby felt; I feel like shit."

"Yang, get out of Weiss' body please." Weiss chuckled "no jokes about possession if you would be so kind" she then sighed deeply "I understand what you mean, however. After I felt that pain, suddenly everything became-"

"You felt a pain at the back of your head, too?" the faunus interrupted. "Yes, I assume it is when that thing tries to possess one's mind. The thing is I felt so angry. And I didn't even realize the absurdity of the situation! Like…"

"A child throwing a tantrum" Blake finished for her. "A very dangerous child throwing a potentially lethal tantrum, but I agree with the explanation."

Carefully, they climbed up the stairs and reached the totally vacant church interior. There was no sign of Cyril or the others around. "Guess this is why they never backed us up" Blake exclaimed.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Weiss asked her. Despite her lower-than-Cardin opinion for the villagers of Yugure, she still had some consideration about their well-being.

Blake looked around and finally saw through the windows Cyril and the two other men walking from the village towards the church, a fuming Yang and Ruby with them.

"No, they are fine. For the next minute, at most." She looked at two pairs of silver and lilac eyes that opened wide as they took in the state of their teammates, covered in bruises and dripping blood.

Then Yang's eyes turned red and Blake was sure it was not due to possession.


	11. Awakening

**Hello everyone how are you doing? Chapter 11 is up and, good grief, it is the largest one I have written until today; I hope you enjoy it.**

**Thanks again to anyone who liked, followed and/ or simply read the story- you are the best. **

* * *

"You asshat!" an angry voice was heard inside the small building; a white-colored house used as a medical center where the village herbalist, Haspar Vinca, tended to the sick and wounded.

"I demand an explanation! And I demand it now!" Yang's grip tightened around Cyril's throat, while Ruby tried her best to stop her sister from committing murder.

"My orders were to be around- I had other matters to attend to as well. I told you that" the boy replied, seemingly unfazed.

"You were their lifeline, you stupid jackass! You were supposed to look out for them in case something happened and immediately inform us!" "Yang, please…" Ruby pleaded.

"Listen to your sister, Ms. Xiao Long" the Mayor calmly added "a mistake leaving his position might be, he is not the one who did this, so please calm down."

"Calm down?" Yang nearly tossed the boy away, before returning to the short man. "The love of my life and my best friend are inside there!" she pointed towards the infirmary.

"They were attacked by some mind-controlling monster and your guy, who had the simple job of informing us if something like that happened, had abandoned his post!"

She stomped her right leg, eyes totally turned to red. "So, don't tell me to calm down!" "Yang!" Ruby's voice cut off everyone else in the room who tried to reply to the raging blonde. "I am mad as well, but you are not helping."

Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath "I am going to get some fresh air and 'Calm Down'. Be right back, Rubes." she sarcastically added, before leaving the room.

"Your sister needs to learn some self-control" Cyril said as he stood up from the floor. "Please don't talk." Unlike Yang, Ruby's voice was cold and flat; any emotion the cheerful girl usually carried with her had seemingly vanished.

"What you did was unforgivable; if you were a huntsman, my commander would have you court-martialed; after I would have had a turn with you. So do us a favor and don't test _MY_ patience, too."

"I understand your anger, Ms. Rose, I really do." She glared at him "you don't seem like you do, Mr. Abbey." The man, unsurprisingly, didn't even flinch "it's not an easy situation for us too, please understand that."

"The fault is mine" the Mayor continued "Cyril merely tried to be helpful somewhere else where he was immediately needed, answering my summons."

Ruby sighed- there were times when being the voice of reason seemed so hard; how Weiss managed to pull this effortlessly on a daily basis escaped her.

"Let's focus on what we do from now, Sir. I need you to seal the trapdoor and block the way to the church. No one is allowed to get it there; not even you or your men."

"Ms. Rose" the secretary, Cotton Yang had called him, moved next to the Mayor. "The church has been shut for four days already, this shouldn't be a problem. The issue is when will we be able to go back there?"

"As long as it takes" she narrowed her silver eyes at him. "The church is a fundamental part of our community; everyone is in distress at this moment and only the power of The Altar protects us from Grimm" the man continued, undeterred.

Ruby took a large breath. _What in Crescent Rose is wrong with them?_ "Mr. Cotton. There is a powerful monster in a secret tunnel under your church. It beat up my team without even approaching them."

"Yes, I understand, but-""_**My**_ _**team**_ is among the best in Remnant; veterans of the Salem War and highly skilled individuals who can take down herds of normal Grimm on their own. Do you understand the magnitude of the threat?"

He stared at her and she continued "and that is if I don't count the strange immortal Grimm waiting in the woods. This is not a matter of politics or religion anymore- we have to be cautious."

"I will agree with Ms. Rose on that. Mr. Cotton, Cyril, spread the word to the entire village. Nobody is to enter the church grounds, until the perpetrator is terminated" Mayor Abbey said.

Ruby for once was thankful for the man's assistance. "Also, nobody leaves the village after the dusk, even armed. Am I understood?" Both of them nodded and left the house, the Mayor following suit.

After she remained alone-or partially alone- Ruby turned to Mr. Vinca. "When can we see them?" The short, brown-haired man with the pale white eyes nodded.

"Your friends will be fine; I have used suppressing incense to calm Ms. Belladonna's trembling and a healing salve for both of their wounds. Their aura should do the rest- I expect them to be fully healed by tomorrow." Ruby bowed solemnly "thank you" and exited the room.

-o-

Yang was sitting on a bench holding a bottle of water on one hand and her hat on the other, the heavier than yesterday snow falling all over her golden mane, adorning it with little white dots that melt upon contact.

She flexed her metal arm. Her eyes had returned to their original warm lilac, despite the tension still visible in her body. "Can I sit?" her sister's solemn voice sounded from behind.

Yang motioned her, using her metal arm to clean the snow next to her. Ruby sat down, immediately resting her head on Yang's right shoulder, allowing the blonde to pass her arm over her back, hugging her.

"This sucks royally" she finally said, as both their gazes fell upon the towering church, casting off its imposing shade all over the village.

"I know" Ruby exclaimed. "We have been in a tight spot many times, but this is the first time we can't even get close to our enemy. It was foolish of me to let us split again, after what happened on the first day."

"It's ok, Rubes. It's not a weird thing to trust Weiss and Blake to be able to hold their own; you couldn't have known it would take them both down like this."

"That's the problem, Yang" Ruby closed her eyes as she replied "there are so many things we don't know about this place and this Grimm; if it is a Grimm and not something else. We took things so lightly- thank Dust they are both fine."

Yang chuckled, trying to relieve some tension "I knew they would be fine, since they were so talkative. They were so busy apologizing to each other; it was kinda cute."

Ruby closed her eyes, basking at her sister's warmth to melt the stress away "yuP."

-o-

The revitalizing aroma of herbs filled the room, calming down Blake's fragile nerves. She had been fine; she knew she had been fine. Team RWBY had participated in so many missions after the end of the War and Blake had no problems with her performance in any of them.

Getting engaged to Sun had improved her overall psyche as well, to the point where flashbacks hit her only when sparring with the monkey faunus.

And then, this creepy thing had appeared in this no-name village of rude cultists and made her almost strangle Weiss after a serious catfight. She inhaled deeply, the smell of lavender filling her lungs.

"Do you think Yang killed him?" she asked her friend who was resting on a very comfy-looking couch, bandages all over her face and body to keep the healing cream in place.

"No, I don't think so. When Yang shouts and screams, she never gets physical. When she represses her anger, however, is another story." The alabaster girl opened her eyes and looked at the faunus.

"This incense smells wonderful- I will ask Mr. Vinca if I can get some for home as well" Blake replied, looking outside the window. "Blake… do you think Ruby could be right?"

"I think it doesn't matter anymore." Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I mean" the brunette explained "we underestimated this thing, whatever it is, way too much already and look where we ended."

"Oh, I see; you mean that regardless if it is an Eldergrimm or not, we should treat it as one." Blake turned towards her and nodded "I believe this is the best way; I am sure Ruby feels the same."

"Knowing that dolt, she probably feels bad about all this" Weiss narrowed her eyes in worry. "Yes" the girl replied "but it also means she will be more determined to deal with it now. Ruby is a huntress at heart more than any of us."

"I know" Weiss smiled. "Not that I will never let her know that I do, of course." Both of them gave off a small laugh before the door opened and both sisters stepped in.

"Wow, it smells funny in here" the reaper said. "It is relaxing though" Weiss smiled, as Yang gently kissed her. "Nothing is more relaxing than seeing you smile" she whispered, earning another kiss.

Ruby helped Blake sit up, putting a couple pillows in her back. "How are you?" The faunus groaned "frustrated, like all of us I guess" she replied nonchalantly.

Ruby's eyes turned at her teammates, one by one. Truly, frustration was evident in their faces. She bit her lip "that's why we are going to do something for it."

"Like what?" Weiss said, earning a confident smile from Yang. "We will have the Mayor evacuate the village, first thing in the morning. We already spoke to Mr. Pale and asked them to leave as soon as possible. They agreed without a second thought."

Ruby stood up and narrowed her eyes "after that, we call in reinforcements. We isolate the area and try to find out everything we can about this thing before acting."

Two sets of eyes opened wide "That is… unexpectedly mature of you, Ruby." Weiss blurted her thoughts out, as her partner stared at her in forced mirth.

"I nearly lost both of you today, Weiss" she exclaimed. "That is enough to make me act carefully, don't you think?" She then turned around and walked outside "get some rest; we are going to patrol a little bit."

Yang pecked Weiss' lips again and winked at Blake. "We will be back in a few hours." The monochrome pair smiled at their teammates "be careful, will you?" Yang grinned "with Ruby like this, you don't have to worry about anything."

-o-

"And I tell you, Bistre, they had the nerve to shout at me! To make up for being incompetent! Some huntresses they are!"

The tall brown-haired man shrugged his shoulders "things happen, Cyril. They have their work to do as well. Just chill out and forget it" he closed the inn's door as they walked towards their homes.

"I just can't stand them! Why don't they leave already? It's not they helped anyway!" they stopped in front of the innkeeper's house. "They have a mission, Cyril. They will leave only once the Grimm are dead or they die fighting them."

"Gah, whatever. Good night, Bistre." The man sighed "good night Cyril. And please try to calm down." The man waved dismissively as he walked away in the street lights, upon the lonely road.

It was considerably late at night; the only movement inside the village was the three people on patrol- Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long and one of the Melon boys.

He thought of the huntresses and his anger grew. Why did they have to meddle with them? They didn't need any strangers! Those hypocrites from Vale, that stupid Pale and his even more stupid wife who had brought them here!

Where were the so-called heroes when the Grimm tore his parents to shreds? Nowhere! Where were they when Sheriff Cloud got killed? Nowhere!

He growled in disgust; the Mayor was right, even though he had also been forced to accept them. After all, they could do one thing well- kill Grimm. Not that it had helped them with what lurked under the church-or the ones in the forest.

A sharp pain in his neck made him stop momentarily, but went away almost immediately. Oh, how he wished they could kill it and leave; let them return to their happy life under The Altar! Couldn't they just vanish from earth? Like-

Cyril stopped walking and turned around, his gaze falling upon the church. _Team RWBY; the so called heroes that led huntsmen against Salem two years ago. They were almost killed by whatever was that thing. _A strange idea started forming in his mind.

_If…if it came after them? If it came outside, wouldn't it be able to make the annoying huntresses vanish?_ Cyril smiled widely, his glowing red eyes shining like torches, as he turned around and started running towards the church.

He unlocked the gate, ran smiling through the yard and opened the large door. He got inside, ran down into the already opened secret passage, ignoring that is should have been sealed since Yang Xiao Long had closed it in the morning.

He skipped through the tunnel, ran through the open large metal doors and quickly reached the smaller metal door. He then stopped, his ragged breath allowing his mind to realize one thing.

_The door was locked! And with a code-based lock on it! How was he supposed to open it?_ He slumped down, grief and anger overcoming him. _Why? Why can't I get rid of them? Why!?_

Then suddenly, he heard it. The sound of footsteps, slowly coming his way. Cyril turned around, only for him to see a tall, hooded figure covered in black, wearing a wooden mask with a strange carved design.

"Who are you?" Cyril raised his gun, but the figure didn't stop. "I am nobody…all you need to know is that I am here to help you." His voice was mellow and deep, albeit oddly familiar.

"Help me?" he lowered his gun, adrenaline rushing through his body. "Exactly" he replied in an emotionless manner. Not that Cyril minded at this moment; he had a more urgent priority. "Can you- open it? How?"

The figure stepped towards the door and entered a code "a comrade of mine built this, a few years ago. He wanted it to be ready when its time was due. Now, thanks to you, we can finish what he started"

He pressed a button and the metal lock opened, the door slowly sliding wide, dark smoke and mist pouring from the inside.

The sheriff didn't mind; he was overcome with joy! He could now deal with those pesky huntresses! They would vanish and leave his village alone and peaceful- as it should be.

They both stepped in, thick darkness covering everything. Cyril opened his lamp to check around- and stood there, speechless.

The room was small and carved in stone, with a single, stone table in the middle. A large coffin stood on the other side, held tightly by powerful, thick chains. It was made of ancient-looking stone, with carvings and patterns drawn on it that Cyril couldn't even try reading.

Five skeletons, dried up and half-covered in dust, rested in front of the coffin. They were devoid of any clothes and fairly intact, bones glistering in the torches' dim light.

The boy could feel the energy pulsing through the stone and, lighting it up a little better, saw that the thick black mist poured from inside it. He turned around "is that it?"

"Indeed, it is." The figure replied. "Sealed by ancient magic- Salem's magic- countless years ago, the one inside it can now be set free that the Queen is no longer of this world. This is where we need your help, Cyril. Help us, and we will help you in return."

Cyril smiled, red eyes gleaming. "What do you want me to do?" The man pointed forward "Stand in front of the coffin." He moved, excitement filling his very being. "And now?"

"Offer your blood." Cyril turned around "What?" before he could even register what he heard, the tall figure sliced at his arm with a knife, completely breaking the trance he had fell upon, as his blood splattered all over the ancient coffin.

"Wait! What are you doing? What am I-" the figure grabbed Cyril, pressed him on the stone and forcibly pressed his arm in the top part of the coffin, black mist swirling around the wound.

Cyril screamed in horror as he felt the mist drawing out his blood, absorbing it inside the coffin. "Stop! STOOP! PLEAS-" the tall man slammed Cyril's head on the stone, throwing him down on the ground in front of it.

He then bowed deeply. "Three lives, on the biggest night, to restore the mind. Two lives, on the smallest night, to restore your power. One life, offered to you in agony, to restore your flesh."

The coffin shook violently, as the mist started pouring backwards, gathering inside. The hooded man watched in satisfaction, as the chains were torn apart like they were made of paper, before slowly running away; he didn't want to be around when it would break free, after all.

Cyril woke up from the shaking. He stood quickly, his entire body feeling a mounting horror as he saw around, in the dim light of his lamp, the torn and destroyed coffin.

He looked at his bloodied hand; whatever was inside there had broken free. Correction, he had let it go free.

The man groaned in shock. "What did I do?" As if answering him, a slow, slithering growl was heard from the other side of the room. Cyril turned his lamp towards it- and dropped it on the ground.

The figure had narrow, red eyes and a white bone-head covering its black skin. It looked at him, opening its mouth to reveal a pair of huge canines, supported by a series of smaller, needle-like teeth.

The thing tilted its head, smiling widely at Cyril who started screaming in horror, taking in all the delightful fear this inferior creature would radiate.

As soon as if was satisfied, it lunged forward and feasted on the man's flesh, carefully keeping him alive as much as possible, enjoying his pitiful pleads for mercy.

Out in the forest, the Ghouls sensed their master feeding and shrieked, making a run towards it, their wails echoing through the dark woods.


	12. Night Raid

**Hello everyone, how are you doing? Chapter 12 is up, I hope you enjoy it. **

**Thanks a lot again for keeping up with the story, I love you all. **

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Ruby was the first one to hear it. The unholy scream of Grimm, piercing the woods, growing louder by the minute. They were near the western perimeter, performing their third sweep of the village grounds, along with Ray Melon.

"Yang!" Ruby picked her scroll, sending a code red to Weiss and Blake. Ember Celica cocked in place right next to her.

In the dark forest away from them, red gleaming eyes, dozens of them, appeared, glistering through the thick canopies.

"How…" the tall boy whispered behind them "Grimm never get close to the village! Did the Altar abandon us?"

"Who cares?" Yang shot him a glare. "Raise the alarm and tell everyone to grab weapons! We are under attack!" Meanwhile, Ruby had drawn Crescent Rose and loaded a heavy impact bullet magazine.

"Go! We will cover you!" she shouted just as the four creatures burst out of the tree line.

Split into two pairs, the Ghouls ran towards the village. Not showing any of the previous night's stealth and subtlety, they charged straight ahead towards the two huntresses.

Ruby and Yang opened fire. A rain of missiles and explosions rattled the creatures, totally annihilating their bodies- or at least that's what should have happened.

Reforming at an alarmingly faster rate, they pounced on them. Yang shot at the first, blowing it up, and used the force from her weapon to propel backwards, avoiding the second.

The creature bit towards her, but, unlike yesterday, she was on full alert. She brought up her knee on its jaw, thrashing it back and before it could react properly she slammed its head's both sides with her fists, crashing its skull and tossing its body on its comrade, throwing both of them away.

Ruby didn't even try to slice them. If what Blake had told her was any indication, it would be a waste of footwork and movement. Instead, she burst around them, surrounding them in a field of roses as her feet literally danced between their cuts and slices.

"Burst!" Yang's shout was returned by a smile, and the nimble huntress vanished away from the attackers before a pair of missiles blew them up.

Ruby gracefully landed next to Yang, raising an eyebrow as all four of their enemies started reform once more, not even a single trace of the damage inflicted on them remaining.

"This is so weird" she whispered. "I know. I am actually kinda pissed right now." Ruby raised an eyebrow "switch to defense, Yang. There is no way they don't have a weakness. We just have to find it."

"Roger" the blonde assumed a boxing stance, focusing her mind on avoiding the incoming blows.

Ruby jumped back to gain momentum and unfurled her scythe form, just as all four of them ran towards her sister ignoring the red girl. "Iron Flower!"

A claw shot at her stomach- Yang punched it away. The second creature bit at her metal arm and she ignored it, instead using her body movement to thrash it on the third one that was aiming to her head.

The one in the back lunged at her neck, exploiting her being occupied with the others, before an invisible blade severed its head, rose petals bursting away.

The attack pressed on, with all four creatures aiming at Yang, trying to slice and bite her.

The blonde jumped and sidestepped around the same place, continuously kicking, absorbing attacks and thrashing two or three of them, a hurricane of blades, cuts and slices severing any limb or jaw that managed to pass by the boxer's defense.

The dance of punches, kicks, slashes and hungry attacks continued for quite a few minutes, enough for both huntresses to hear the village alarm screaming through the night sky.

Ruby smiled- at least their first objective had been achieved. "Disengage, Yang!" the brawler didn't even waste a single moment, shooting on her legs as her sister grabbed her and bust both of them away in a moving spiral of red and gold.

They rolled on the snow and jumped back on their feet a few meters away from the creatures, which once again used the black mist to reform. "Persistent bastards…" she spat on the ground.

"Are you ok?" "Got a few scratches here and there" she eyed their enemies, slowly and more carefully opening wide, trying to surround them. _It looks like they are adapting too. I would be interested in them if I wasn't so damn angry right now. _

"Oh well" she narrowed her eyes and focused her aura on her left arm, activating her semblance, making it light in a golden blaze. The things stopped their slow advance, taking in the new power emanating from her.

"They even react to semblances; I am officially impressed." Behind her, Ruby took her stance once more, but waited. What was going to happen next would put these Grimm's resilience to test.

One of the things Ruby hated about fame and being in the spotlight, was how many wrong assumptions people made about them as huntresses.

Especially, when Yang was concerned, people used to see a fiery, powerful blonde that annihilated every enemy by merely overpowering them- a juggernaut of aura that simply pummeled all resistance.

They didn't know how much her sister had worked on honing her power and combat skills, even after the end of the War. Weiss and Ren had been personally tutoring her on a constant basis.

The result; right now, Yang Xiao Long was among the best huntsmen in Remnant in terms of aura control and semblance manipulation.

The Ghouls rushed towards her, making Yang's muscles tense. Ruby stormed towards the two of them, forming a spiral wave with her weapon.

It slammed on the enemies, failing to cause any sort of severe damage, but keeping them away from her sister as the other two flanked her.

Using her metal arm to divert the right one's claws, Yang jumped around the left one's body. It turned around to bite her, but the woman sent a semblance-powered left-hand uppercut, focusing all her power on a single point.

Her golden fist passed through the creature's skull, burning its flesh and melting its bones. Its smoking corpse fell on the ground, as the other one stormed through the mist on her.

Yang used her knee to block the claws and, ignoring the pain from its slash, brought down her left fist on its spine, breaking its neck and sending its head roll on the ground, before turning into smoke as well.

She jumped back, ready to intercept their attacks but, to her total surprise, both smoking Grimm didn't stand up. Instead, their bodies slowly evaporated, before disappearing in the snowy air.

Ruby's silver eyes lit up in satisfaction, as she screamed "Golden Petals!" before storming towards the other two.

Increasing her own speed to its maximum, she sliced around the two Grimm in immense speed, cutting off limbs and heads with deadly precision. Picking up speed, Ruby drew a small-sized air dust crystal and tossed it between the two reforming enemies.

The burst of air engulfed the creatures, but the reaper didn't mind. Using her own speed and the force from the air dust, she ran around them.

A small tornado of red was formed by the combined powers of dust and semblance. It picked snow and Grimm off the ground, swirling with immense power "Incoming!" and sending them towards the waiting arm of her sister.

Yang's powerful punch literally blast off the two Ghouls, evaporating all snow as Ruby landed behind her, cape fluttering and hair messed all around from the after effects of the dust crystal.

To both huntresses' satisfaction, the Grimm followed their kin, disappearing completely before them.

Both girls turned around to the forest, only to see the red eyes slowly vanishing back to the night. They waited for a few minutes to confirm no more enemies would appear and then let out a relieved breath.

"You have become so good with dust" Yang high-fived Ruby "Weiss will be so proud of you." "She will be proud of both of us" Ruby merrily giggled.

"So what, they just needed to get hit harder?" "I don't know. I mean, I did hit them pretty hard with Crescent Rose a few times." Yang sighed "sis we both know-"

A horrible screech cut Yang's reply. A mixture of pain, hunger and mad rage, that froze the blood in both seasoned huntresses' veins. And then, screaming was heard.

But it was not the eerie screams of Grimm, no; it was something both sisters knew very well. It was the horrified, pained screaming of people suffering.

"Let's go!" Ruby said before both of them ran towards the village.

-0—

Grimm are always around waiting to eat you.

That was the case for every human living outside the main cities of Remnant. Every single establishment, no matter how small, had to abide to one single rule.

Be strong enough to fight them off or you will die.

That way of living had shaped most of the surviving communities into ones capable of dealing with emergencies like a Grimm attack in the best way possible.

The population of Yugure, however, mostly formed by city people who had moved in the area after the end of the War, lacked that valuable experience.

So, when the alarm sounded through the village, panic and chaos followed. Families ran out in the road, with women and children screaming; the Mayor and his men's plead and cries lost in the panic.

Most of them were highly religious individuals and soon enough the cries _'to the church!'_ spread all over the place.

Avoiding the Mayor's men and not being aware that the Rose- Xiao Long sisters had the ambush in total control, a huge wave of people entered the sacred ground.

Ignoring the pleads of the ones who failed to get inside, they started to barricade the door just as the pristine white altar broke and Nyctos, youngest of the Eldergrimm, rose from his prison.

The lucky citizens who were left outside started running away as the dying screams and horrified shouts filled the interior of the church.

The doors opened and the few survivors joined them, as the menacing figure rushed by, covered in black mist. It flew past them and landed on the churchyard's gate, allowing all of them to take a good look at the incarnated monster.

It was human-shaped and tall, with skin so dark it would put even the deepest night to shame. A bone-mask covered its face, small red eyes looking around with a savage glee.

Its entire body was covered in a dark cloud that hugged its form like a mantle, while a pair of huge, bat-like wings made of black smoke between long white bones was in its back. Blood dripped from all its body and pieces of flesh hung from its long, spear-like claws.

Nyctos opened his jaws, the sorrowful cries of pain music to the just-awakened Grimm. It relished in seeing its weak prey falling to the ground, having accepted their natural fate; get devoured by it.

The attack came from nowhere with immense speed. A large, sharp sting speared through the night, aiming for the Eldergrimm's head. A flap of its wings sent it up to the sky, the projectile crashing at the gate.

The flying horror turned around, mist swirling along its body, as its horrifying gaze fell upon the attacker; a large, white-blue Queen Lancer was rapidly approaching the church grounds, both its riders' gazes fixed on the apex predator.

-o—

"Go away as we keep it occupied!" Weiss screamed to the mob from top of the Lancer Queen. "Evacuate the area as soon as possible!"

"What in the name of dust is that Grimm?" Blake asked from behind Weiss as they flew to intercept the monstrosity that crawled out of the church's pit.

"That's one question I can't answer" her teammate replied. "Be alert; we have no idea what abilities it may have." The faunus agreed and drew Nightfall, arming the sword with fire dust, turning the blade a deeper crimson.

The Grimm surged towards them, its left arm stretching out. Five claws shot in a similar to the Lancer Queen's sting way, forcing Weiss to maneuver around the attacks.

As the passed around the appendages, Blake whirled her sword and sliced at them, creating a whirlwind of explosions that blew them all off. But nothing had prepared her for what followed.

Reforming in an unbelievably fast rate, the claws sliced back at them. Weiss conjured a large white glyph that took the brunt of the hit, allowing the Queen to- moving with a speed that would put Ruby to shame, Nyctos rammed onto Weiss' summon.

The powerful attack of the monster tore apart the Queen, sending both huntresses to fall downwards. Without giving them space to move, it dove to annihilate its prey before they even hit the ground.

"Ice Shadow!" Weiss conjured a large array of platform glyphs surrounding the Grimm's descent, sending ice dust through every single one of them. Blake created a clone that tossed her upon one of them, using it as a foothold to propel forward.

The sound of metal clashing on claw filled the area as Blake teleported on every single platform, attacking the enemy from every single angle using her swords' special property.

Meanwhile, as soon as the faunus made contact with a glyph, Weiss released the dust allowing the brunette to teleport away and leave an ice clone behind that took the Grimm's attack, sending shards of cold energy on it.

The combined effort of both huntresses encased the monster inside a cage of slashes and frost explosions, not allowing it a single breath to defend before the pale girl gracefully stepped on the ground.

Blake teleported away and then the ex-heiress emptied Myrtenaster's ice dust reserves, sending a towering pillar of frost that impaled Nyctos in the stomach, creating a huge explosion that tore the Grimm to shreds.

Weiss panted and gasped; the strain from the lack of proper rest and the intense fight evident on her body. Blake teleported next to her and helped her stand, clearly in a better shape than the alabaster girl.

"You overdid it. Yang will chew my head off." Weiss huffed "you just followed your vice-captain's orders. I will take the full-""_AGH!" _

Once more feeling the dreadful sting at the back of their mind, both girls turned around- and their jaws opened wide.

The monster, fully covered in shadow, was standing there, its mist-covered arms pulling back away _from their own heads!_

Before they could even realize the horror, a powerful feeling of hatred surged through Weiss and Blake. Where the previous time it had been some mounting, baseless anger, this time it was a roaring rage that made both girls growl as their mind was filled with thoughts of fury.

Their arms trembled, as they mustered all their will power to not lunge at each other's throats, the Grimm mockingly hovering above them.

But then, a scream echoed in the night.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

Ruby Rose burst behind the enemy Grimm, swinging her scythe with all her might, using gravity shots to put enough power to tear an Atlesian tank behind her strike.

The Grimm's eyes shone as it turned to her with unbelievable reflexes, and Ruby realized her mistake a little too late.

Time seemed to freeze for the rest of team RWBY as they saw the creature instantly bursting with wicked energy, reacting fast enough to grab Crescent Rose in its arm- and shattering Ruby's prized weapon with ease.

The monochrome pair snapped immediately out of their anger, as their horrified eyes saw the Eldergrimm grab Ruby from the neck with its powerful jaws.

Ruby felt the world spin as the Grimm shook her around and bit hard enough to annihilate her aura, before it sent her crashing towards the church graveyard with enough power to skid along the snow-covered terrain, leaving a bloody trail behind her.


	13. Howl in The Dark

**Hello everyone! How have you been doing? I have an important announcement to make; due to me pulling double shifts in work for the next two weeks, there will be no upload of this story on Thursday 25th. For that reason, I am uploading a double chapter today- I hope you enjoy it. **

* * *

"Ruby… RUBY!" Weiss and Blake immediately sprang into action, the former by shooting fire dust at the floating nightmare and the latter by running towards her team leader.

"Uuuu…" Ruby moaned in Blake's arms, her eyes and mouth quivering in pain. "Ruby, can you hear me?"

"It hurts… but it is warm…am I bleeding?" she asked back. "Yes, but I will stop it" carefully to not hurt Ruby any more, she reached for her emergency kit.

A roar made both of them turn their eyes around as the Grimm swatted Weiss' dust shots away without even putting effort into it, and then turned to Blake, ready to-

"**DIEEEEE!"** fully clad in gold energy, Yang jumped into the yard, sending a wave of missiles towards it. The explosions made the ground tremble, but she didn't even stop; she knew it wouldn't be enough to take it down.

So, when the smoke cleared to reveal that no harm had been done to the monster, Yang was already on it. She threw a right hook and then furiously slammed her left leg as its ugly head ducked to avoid the punch.

A sharp pain rocked her leg as the enemy snatched her knee with its jaws. "YANG!" Weiss skated towards them but the Grimm needed no more time to slowly let its shadow enter the blonde's mind.

"GAH!" a sharp pain was the only thing Yang said, before her entire world turned to red, anger filling her very being. She didn't even try to resist as the rage enveloped her body.

The Grimm dropped her to the ground and Yang stood up as Weiss stopped just away from her, looking between the hovering entity and her beloved girlfriend whose eyes were glowing like blazing torches.

"Yang…Fireball… please calm down…" the pale girl pleaded, but she didn't hear. She didn't want or need to. She was so unreasonably mad she didn't care about anything else.

Mad at Weiss and Blake for getting beaten by this thing.

Mad at Ruby for rushing forward despite having told them to be careful.

Mad at her own self for failing once more to be there when her teammates needed her.

But most of all, mad at this thing that crawled out of hell and hurt the ones she loved more than her own life.

The Grimm seemed to realize something was off, as instead of waiting for her to attack Weiss it dove forward towards the pair.

Yang's emotional dam broke as she activated the full force of her semblance, her entire body roaring with power.

Weiss moved forward, using the time dilation glyph to add to her lover's attack speed. She then activated Crown, creating a path between the raging inferno and its target.

The Grimm stopped its attack midway, but she paid no mind. Using Ember Celica to propel her body upwards, she ran forward like a comet. A very angry, blazing comet.

The sharp claws raked her body, but the tremendous amount of aura Yang possessed allowed her to reach it without getting skewered. **"GO. TO. HELLLLL!"**

Her mechanical arm punched Nyctos' other arm away, giving her left one enough time to punch the Grimm's stomach, unleashing a good chunk of her stored power.

A golden explosion followed by a tremendous shockwave blasted the Grimm apart for the second time this night but, unlike before, Yang didn't allow the enemy to recover.

As the figure started reforming, she jumped off Weiss' platform onto its body, sending both of them crash to the ground, forming a large crater in the middle of the yard.

"**AAAAAA!" **she pounced on it, smashing, punching and kicking, tearing apart away any sort of flesh the Grimm managed to reform. **"DIE! DIE! JUST DIE! GO TO HELL!"**

She panted, gasped and even coughed blood from the overcharge. Her muscles strained, burning from overheat and the strain. Her mind was boiling as well, her bloodshot eyes focused only on beating up that entity.

Weiss ran forward; she knew this would happen as soon as the enemy had gotten into Yang's mind. She had chosen to assist Yang, hoping her girlfriend's overcharged semblance would be enough to take the thing down.

Seeing the thing effortlessly reform however, she realized she had once more underestimated it. And her Fire Dragon would pay the price if she did nothing.

Yang groaned, her muscles losing power and speed. The black flesh started reforming, her attacks much slower than she wanted to. A large claw swiped at her forehead, nearly rattling her aura.

She bit it, spewing black mud out.

The bone-covered wings sliced at her, making Yang wince in pain. She felt her semblance vanish, as her aura dissipated. The creature hissed in glee, skewering her with its left arm.

Or at least that what would have happened if a white-colored figure hadn't slammed on her first, taking the brunt of the attack.

Suppressing a roar of pain, Weiss used her momentum to make both of them roll on the ground. Behind her, the summoned knight raised its sword to protect them from the enemy as she helped Yang to her feet.

Nyctos made quick work of the hapless summon, before rising up on the sky once more, out of both huntress' reach, visibly unharmed.

"Are you ok?" Weiss sent a side glance to the blonde, smiling as she saw her eyes had returned to its gentle lilac color.

Yang swiped some blood and sweat of her forehead "where are Blake and Rubes?" she asked in worry. "Just behind you" the faunus replied, appearing out of a few rattled tombstones, supporting a hastily yet efficiently bandaged Ruby.

Clutching the remains of Crescent Rose in her left arm, the crimson-tipped girl sent a harsh stare to the floating nightmare that simply hovered far away from them.

"It doesn't even try to hide the fact that it is toying with us" she grimly announced, concealing a wince of pain as she spoke. "Without Crescent Rose there is no way we can shoot it up there."

"And it will take quite some time before I can summon The Queen again" her partner clicked her tongue. Ruby knew that already, as well as the fact that Blake and Yang were not an actual threat from that far.

"Weiss" she turned to her "get Chloe ready." She then let go of Blake, rubbing her neck, her eyes never leaving the Grimm. "Yang, do you have enough strength left to try Bumblebee?"

Her sister raised an eyebrow "it is way out of reach, Rubes. How-" The red girl grinned, her half-bloodied mouth adding a creepy layer to the pure white of her smile.

Nyctos stood in mid-air, its immense power growing as the night grew. It simply had to wait-nothing more nothing less; the humans that stood in front of it would soon be overrun and the others who fled the village would be easy prey after-

"Freezerburn!" a thick, blue mist spread all over the place, covering the four huntresses from its eyes. The Eldergrimm didn't mind, however. It could simply sense them; their pain, their anxiety, their-

A missile shot from the ground, passing through the fog. Nyctos simply folded its wings and blocked it, the explosion doing nothing to its continuously powering-up skin.

Then bullets came; a large spray of bullets from Envelop hit at the Grimm, merely providing a minor annoyance. It didn't even try dodging them; some even sprayed away from its floating form.

Then a series of fire shots went at it; realizing these could actually pose a threat, it used a slam of its bat-wings to propel away. It amused it to no end; toying with its desperate prey.

The thing of nightmares avoided another series of attacks, its black visage flying easily away from the thick shroud of gunfire. It repositioned itself next to the church's tower.

Then the bell rang, sending a loud, eerie sound through the village. "BUMBLEBEE!" the presence of two more mortals behind the large bell was made aware to the Eldergrimm too late.

Yang used the bell's movement to add to her own jump, just as Blake swung Nightfall with all her might. Supported by the unfurled weapon's edge, the blonde huntress was hurled towards her target that turned around to slash at her.

As the sharp claws approached Yang, one of Blake's clones appeared at the edge of the roof, allowing her partner to step on her and maneuver mid-air.

The Grimm opened its jaws to bite at her leg, but this time Yang's mind was clear- and focused.

A shot from her right arm's gun sent her just above the nightmare's head, allowing Yang to land on its back, taking it down with her as she thrust the jagged edge of Blake's weapon through its wings.

The Grimm hissed in pain, as Blake let go of her weapon and jumped off the tower. At the same time, Yang shot upwards, sending them both to crash towards the ground. "Operation; Save Yang!"

Before the monster could turn around, Blake conjured another clone and tackled the blonde away from the Grimm. The huntresses rolled on the ground to avoid the impact, earning a few bruises, but keeping their lives after executing on of Ruby's most dare-devilish plans ever.

Nyctos opened its wings to stop its descent- and got impaled by a large, bluish-white stinger, crashing at the church wall with a mighty shriek.

The huge glyph which the stinger poured out from spun with energy, as Weiss' giant Deathstalker climbed up from it. The whiterose pair rode on its back, Ruby wearing Ember Celica and Weiss holding Envelop.

The scorpion-like summon lowered its left pincer, allowing the Bumblebee duo to climb up on it as well. "Hi Chloe, nice to see you pal" Yang whispered, before crashing on her back, gently supported by Weiss.

"Are you ok, Yang?" she asked her. "Yeah… just exhausted as fuck; this thing is out of this world- I have met Goliaths who were less sturdy."

As another scream came out of the impaled thing, team RWBY stared at their ensnared foe; black liquid oozed out of the circular wound even as the stinger was attached- the first solid hit they had managed to score the entire fight.

As the unearthly shouts continued, Ruby saw the thick miasma around its body increase. "Weiss!" she pointed and her partner realized, making Chloe retract her weapon, coated with Grimm blood at its edge.

"What will it be now?" Ruby whispered, sitting at the base of Chloe's tail, clutching the remains of Crescent Rose. Suddenly, her wounds started burning.

She could feel energy pulsing through them, as if resonating with the primordial power gathering around the place. She gulped; her throat dry and burning.

"Weiss!" cyan eyes turned at her "we have to retreat, now!" Uneasiness spread among the rest of her team; sure, the situation was bad and retreating was definitely a sound plan.

However, for their leader to be requesting them to back away from a monster, it usually meant bad news- very bad news.

But then a loud, cacophonous screech was heard from the woods, as if answering the predator's one. And then another, and another. And then there was movement; but not from the woods.

From the church, figures started moving. Slowly but steadily, horribly slaughtered men, women and children, covered in caked blood came to view, as the Eldergrimm's mist surrounded them.

The hissing miasma entered their bodies, their flesh slowly reforming and turning charcoal-black. Arms became elongated and sharp claws protruded from them.

Team RWBY failed to suppress a scream as the humans' faces started to melt, thick white bone masks forming in front of their heads.

The teeth fell and got replaced by two pairs of blood-red canines, matched only by the fiery color of the pulsing eyes. A pair of long, bat-like ears started growing from their skulls.

"Oh my Dust!" "This…is…" "I don't believe it!" Dozens of Ghouls rose from the bloody field, their eerie howls responding to their kin, slowly moving towards the only remaining living humans of the area.

Chloe dashed. Weiss' brain didn't fail in sending the proper command to her summoned creature and the Giant Deathstalker sped away from the accursed village, as Ghouls started running after it.

Blake took Envelop from Weiss and looked behind them at the pack of hunting monsters. She turned to her teammates; Yang was struggling to stand, her body feeling the aftereffects of all the adrenaline rush from before.

Weiss was sitting on her summons' head, her frightened expression and trembling body indicating she was near exhaustion as well. Ruby had just finished typing in her scroll and stowed it away as she stood up, hands clutching her throat.

"Yang" she walked slowly next to her sister, who had just fallen on her back once more. "Yes, Rubes?"

"Get some rest. I will need you to cover me in a while" she said, moving to the back of their mount. "Ruby, wait! You have no aura!" she screamed; both at her sister and at her body to move "you are injured!"

"You can't move; Weiss has barely enough aura to maintain Chloe and Blake can't hold them all on her own." She cocked Ember Celica, activating its shotgun form. "Still if you get hit-"

"If they climb above Chloe, we are dead" Ruby interrupted her. "If Weiss runs out of aura, we are dead." She gritted her teeth. "At this point, I want you to focus on resting and switching with me when I am out of stamina as well."

She turned to her team, a determined look on her face, as the Ghouls reached closer. Weiss nodded- her face still pale and strained in exhaustion. Yang bit her lips and gave a reluctant ok. Blake walked to the other side of the Deathstalker's back.

"Maintain your ammo as much as possible. Shoot everything that comes too close" Blake cocked dust rounds in the gun and armed it. Both huntresses took aim at the horde- and the shooting commenced.

The first two ones were shot down quickly by Blake, mid-range combat always being her forte. She raised an eyebrow in question when the incendiary rounds blew up their heads and totally charred their remains instead of letting them reform as she expected.

On the other side, Ruby punched in the air and sent a missile to blast away the trio that tried to get on their mount's legs.

Immediately after that, the trio reformed, albeit having lost a lot of ground from the delay.

"Son of Dust…" Ruby murmured, pained gasps escaping her body. She knew Ember Celica's recoil was no joke and she had already used it more times than her injured body was comfortable with.

Two shots afterwards, however, both her body and her pride hurt a lot more than she expected. She shot another one, the explosions meshing with the sound of Blake's gun taking down a few more.

Her entire body now screamed, but Ruby stood. She was the leader of this team; she had faced monstrous adversaries with her team covering her back.

And now, in only two days, she had beaten down her partner and got insta-destroyed by the enemy. _Some Leader you are, Rose._

The rustling of leaves on her right, snapped Ruby out of her thoughts. A pair of Ghouls jumped outside of the trees, claws pointed to her throat.

She jumped backwards and shot the first one away, but her right leg literally snapped from the recoil, leaving her wide open.

A split second before the enemy landed on her, however, a golden blur jumped in front of her and delivered a powerful mechanical punch to its gut, throwing it away to crash on a couple more.

Yang turned around, her entire body trembling, as she used her left side to support Ruby's right. "Stupid sis…" she whispered, too hurt to even talk properly.

"Back at you…" They smiled tenderly to each other "left-right, right?" "YuP"

Blake saw the sisters using each other's body as a balancing mechanism as they alternated shots to take care of their own side.

She shot a couple more and quickly reloaded her third cartridge_. They are definitely more than expected; when did they all come from? _

"Ruby, I don't want to sound negative, but I don't think we can outrun them for long" Weiss' voice was heard from behind. "We- gah- don't need to."

She turned to Weiss "Take a left turn at the passage, and start climbing the hill, towards Cypress Outpost." "Why should we-" the pale girl started but was cut off by her partner.

"All escaping villagers used the main road towards Mangrove; we have to steer the Grimm away from them. And as long as the thing doesn't follow us, we should manage to pull it off."

"That sounds reasonable, but can Cypress Outpost deal with these?" Blake replied as she shot down another enemy. "Blakey…" Yang replied in a pained manner.

"Have you actually forgotten who the two professional huntsmen of Cypress Outpost are?"

-0—

The night sky was filled with fluffy clouds, but the gently falling snow over Cypress, Mangrove City's Huntsmen Outpost, did little to calm down the men who had received Ruby Rose's distress call.

The sound of the emergency alarm for Grimm attack broke through the city, summoning all available huntsmen in the area.

Most of them were still trainees, at their first or second year, having been stationed here for their field practice, so distress among them was not uncommon.

The same thing couldn't be said, however, for a young-looking woman with a bright orange braid and deep turquoise eyes, standing in front of them.

Her white blouse and pink long pair of pants decorated with white hearts were covered by a long black coat with a large pink hammer surrounded by white lightning sewn on its back.

Nora Valkyrie, veteran huntress and commander of Mangrove's strike force, wore her goggles, put her hammer and axe on her back, and straightened her black fingerless gloves before turning to her subordinates.

"All right everyone! Time to break some Grimm Legs!"


	14. A Long Night's End

Blake removed her empty canister for the sixth time this night, replacing it with her second-to-last one.

She let her eyes momentarily float to her team, the combined explosions of Ruby and Yang's totally unorthodox combination covering the hungry growls of their pursuers.

If the faunus wanted to be honest to herself, they were doing unexpectedly good so far. Weiss staying out of the combat ensured she had enough aura to maintain Chloe's speed.

In addition, the few Ghouls who managed to reach the running Deathstalker were being easily disposed by the rest of the team.

Compared to the way the monster had dealt with them before, this hunt was way too easy. She shot another one, seeing once more its form dissipate. _Why didn't it go after us? What reason could it have to avoid engaging us?_

Suddenly, her ears perked and she turned her head towards the left. Her powerful night vision managed to spot a wave of deep black fog literally running towards them, as if trying to intercept their movement.

"Weiss! Enemies on our 2!" "Sweet Dust!" Obeying its master's command, Chloe slightly turned to its right, trying to create distance from the upcoming ambush.

And exposed itself immediately to the other massive wave that jumped out of their right side.

"SHIT!" half a dozen Ghouls fell on the Deathstalker's back, immediately trying to attack Weiss. The girl rolled backwards, dexterously using her two blades to divert the bites and slices, her armored arms minimizing all hits that passed through.

Blake unclasped Nightfall "DUCK!" and immediately after her teammate complied, she whirled the blade, slicing all of them to pieces. To her dismay, they immediately started recover, giving just enough time for Weiss to run next to her team.

"Thanks" she panted. "Don't mention it" the faunus replied. "We are out of ammo!" Ruby's voice sounded as the Ghouls completed their regeneration- and fell to Envelop's clip emptying, their bodies dispersing on the wind.

Ruby and Yang walked next to them "they are catching up" the blonde pointed to the back, where a few Grimm had started to climb the Deathstalker's rear, a few strikes from its stinger only managing to momentarily repel them.

Ruby let her eyes quickly focus on their left and right, where even more pursuers seemed to appear by the minute. "Weiss" she turned to her team "we are jumping off. Tell Chloe to stall them as much as possible."

"No problem, but can you two run at this state?" a Ghoul tried to jump on them, but Blake shot it down. "No other options; let's go!" she picked up and stowed her rifle's remains in her backpack.

Simultaneously, team RWBY ran towards the front of Weiss' summon, while the ex-heiress gave her command.

They jumped away and started running like crazy through the woods towards the hill, allowing themselves only one glance towards the Giant Deathstalker being overrun by the moving howling mass of darkness.

"Run! Fight only what tries to stop you! And don't lose sight of each other by all means!"

They didn't even wait Ruby finish to spring in action, the howls from behind them indicating their enemies had started moving again- way too soon for their taste.

Ahead of them all, naturally, was Blake. Her keen eyes scanned through the area as she swiftly led team RWBY towards the top of the hill, on the lookout for any ambush and helping them avoid traps and terrain hazards.

Weiss was right behind her, gasping and panting from the stress while holding both weapons, ready to run to anyone's help.

The sisters were just a little behind her, determination all over their faces as they braved the overwhelming exhaustion that threatened their bodies.

They ran like this for a significant amount of time, when Yang noticed the howls and growls from their predators had started getting louder. "I think they are catching up, guys!"

"Took them a while; I thought they were faster than that" Ruby grumbled. "Let's keep our pace; don't waste even more energy until they come closer!" she addressed her team, receiving three nods of agreement.

As they kept running, all that time the howls and screams from their pursuers sending their blood pump, Blake noticed an exit from the thick canopy.

"There! We can reposition ourselves more favorably!" she screamed as they stepped out of the forest.

Beyond the thick veil of the forest, a snow-covered slope was being spread. There were no trees around to block their path, so the only thing that remained would be to outrun the Grimm to the top.

And then, their faces paled in horror as they saw a massive pack of Ghouls bursting out from the white terrain, seemingly hidden behind trees and rocks.

Realization hit them, as suddenly their pursuers sped up and reached them in split second, getting them surrounded.

"They set a trap…" Ruby murmured as all four of them stood back to back, as both packs started advancing on them. "To think we would be outwitted by Grimm…"

Weiss clenched her teeth and quickly gave Crown to her partner "you will need this, _sister_."

The Ghouls opened their mouths and charged. "Cover each other! Flowers of Battlefield!" was the only thing Ruby managed to say before the black onslaught fell upon them.

Gauntlets and swords flashed as slices and hits severed Grimm limbs with extreme precision. Instead of attacking, all members of team RWBY danced through the battlefield in pairs, continuously exchanging positions to not allow the Ghouls to flank them.

Their weapons never attacked their own enemies; instead, they kept hitting each of their respective partners' adversaries, allowing them to protect each other's back more effectively- a pattern that they had perfected in cases like this when they were out of aura and had to minimize every hit received.

Unfortunately, when Ruby had come up with the defense pattern, she hadn't taken into account enemies who could revive themselves.

The black maze of teeth and claws closed tighter, the fallen ones rising back, starting to break the team's rhythm.

A slice to Yang's leg caused her to flinch. A claw raked Blake's arm. A pair of canines trailed over Ruby's neck. Two Ghouls pounced on Weiss, forcing her to roll around and receive a good amount of lacerations to avoid getting eaten alive.

Yang tried to move towards her, but she fixed her with a stare "cover Blake!" she shouted to her girlfriend, skating to stab a Ghoul that was sneaking up on Ruby, while the red girl hacked another one's head off.

Blake skidded away and sliced a couple more, cursing inwardly as they reformed once more.

_This is hopeless!_ She thought, ducking to allow Yang smash an enemy, the blonde's left arm dripping with blood and her breath ragged.

Ruby danced around Weiss, blood dripping from her reopened wounds and cuts in her body, mixing with her sweat. Her entire system was in agony; her brain in hyper drive.

She was using all her instincts to fight the gnarling mass, her mind fully occupied with one single thought.

_How are we going to survive this_?

It was at this point Blake's ears perked at a weird sound. Above the screeches and growls, above her teammates groans of pain and panting, above her own blade colliding to bone… a sound like- _a missile?_

"TAKE COVEEEEER!" a cheery voice was heard just a split second before a grenade hit the back of the Grimm pack, annihilating a good amount of Ghouls and sending a shockwave that blasted team RWBY towards the opposing direction.

The cat girl immediately stood up, her head spinning from the impact of the blast. Around her, her dizzy eyes could see Ruby kicking a few of the Ghoul survivors away and Weiss trailing on the snow while supporting a half-conscious Yang.

"OPEN FIRE! COVER THEM!" the sound of at least a dozen guns opening fire, accompanied by the pained screams of the Grimm being torn to shreds helped her focus a little more.

She turned around, looking towards the source of the noise- and smiled.

Nora was running down the slope, Magnhild at hand, with three more huntsmen dressed in the SHU outfits and bearing the colors of Mangrove City next to her.

Behind them, at least twenty more huntsmen were providing cover fire to her team, two large-operation cannons being set up at the edge of the top.

The Ghouls started once more regenerating and she saw a hesitant pause at the ranks of the huntsmen, before Nora shouted once more "DID I TELL YOU TO STOP?" making them to continue shooting.

One of the men stopped next to Blake, while the other two went off to assist Weiss and Yang. The ginger-head girl jumped above them and slammed away a Grimm, landing next to Ruby.

"Gosh, you look terrible!" the brunette was covered in half-dried blood, Crown still in her hand. "Tell your people to switch to dust cartridges; they are the only effective thing on those Grimm."

"SWAP TO HEAVY ARTILLERY!" Nora screeched once more, unfolding her hammer and sending another one away. Behind them, Ruby saw her team slowly being aided to safety and smiled in satisfaction.

The growls of the undying monsters forced her to look on her front again. The pause in cover fire had allowed the pack to start running towards them once more, screeching.

She corrected her pose, standing tall, as her friend gave command. "FIREEEEE!" before sending them a few bombs herself.

The sound of dust bombs and projectiles peppering the Grimm resonated throughout the slope.

The first wave of Ghouls was torn to shreds in a few seconds, to the orangette's glee. She raised Magnhild in anticipation for the second wave- that never came.

Instead, team RWBY, Nora and all the huntsmen participating in the operation saw with their eyes opened wide every single Grimm that survived the explosion withdraw back.

Their forms slowly turned to mist as they faded into the black, snow-covered forest.

"Well, that was a thing" Nora took off her goggles and turned to Ruby- just in time to catch the fainting brunette's body before falling to the ground.

**December 2****nd****, 85**

**Cypress Outpost Infirmary **

"Here…open your mouth" Weiss said tenderly as she gave Yang an apple slice. The blonde, seated on her bed and covered in bandages, looked at the piece of fruit and turned her pleading eyes to her girlfriend.

"Baby, no offence, but this is the sixth apple you have peeled for me only in the last hour." A pair of cerulean eyes stared at her "you are suffering from semblance overwork and muscular overheat. You need vitamins."

"But…" she tried to protest, but Weiss shoved the slice into her mouth, fixing her with a serious glare. "Nom-nom" reluctantly, Yang surrendered to her fate- and to Blake's amused laughter.

"I swear; you two are so precious" the cat-girl exclaimed, seated on a comfy-looking couch at the other side of the room, near Ruby's bed. "Mind your business, Bellatuna!" Yang replied, earning a chuckle from her partner.

"Quiet, you two!" Weiss hissed. "You will wake up-" "I am awake Weiss, thank you" the reaper replied, shifting in her bed.

Out of the entire team, Ruby had suffered the most injuries from fighting, including a large bite mark all over her neck, currently covered by a series of gauzes. It hurt a lot, especially when straining it.

"Sorry for interrupting your rest, Rubes." The brunette licked her lips "its fine, Yang. I think I have been resting more than fighting in this mission anyway" she added, slightly dejected.

"That thing truly did a number of us didn't it" Weiss exclaimed, pealing another apple. "On that note, I am sorry guys about-" Ruby groaned "Save it, Yang. We all fell victims to its corruption. If I can accuse us of something, it is that we went there unprepared for such an enemy."

"Hey, what is that sour mood I am sensing in the air?" Nora's chipper voice sounded in the room, as she opened the infirmary door, Ren in tow. "You survived, and that's what matters!"

Blake turned around and looked at Ren as Nora jumped to lift Ruby's spirits. The stoic man was wearing a long white uniform with the SHU emblem on- the Huntsmen' winter operation outfit.

His hair was even longer than last time they had met him, the single magenta streak running down his face.

Like Sun, very few things had changed in Ren, save for his attire and the ring he was wearing in his right hand, matching Nora's respective one.

Blake had always been wondering where the heck Nora had managed to find pink-colored wedding rings, but some things were better left unknown.

"Nora you will crush Ruby like that" he stated as a matter of fact. "Ooops! Sorry!" the orange-haired girl jumped back, much to the entire team's amusement.

"Did you come to check on us, Ren?" Weiss asked, leaving the plate down- much to Yang's relief. "That was one reason, yes. The other one…"

He put out his scroll and linked it to the infirmary monitor, opening it "…Commander Goodwitch wants a supplementary report."

As he was speaking, he typed Goodwitch's private number and after a few seconds the Headmistress' face appeared on the monitor, just after team RWBY had managed to get seated in a pointless attempt to don a professional posture.

"Hello team RWBY, Mr. Ren, Ms. Valkyrie" she addressed respectfully. "I am glad to see you are all doing better." Ruby smiled widely "Hello, Professor! Thank you for your concern." Next to her, Ren nodded in approval.

"Now, to not interrupt your rest more than necessary, I wanted to tell you that the council received the initial report and are less than pleased with the results." Everyone narrowed their eyes, save for Ruby who lowered her head.

"You know what, Professor? They can go-" "Yang, please no." Weiss interrupted her, gently grabbing her hand. Glynda only sighed "I understand your anger, Ms. Xiao- Yang" she flashed a weak smile that immediately vanished.

"But the council won't; is that what you meant Professor?" Weiss asked. "Yes. There are people out there who only care about the numbers, not the circumstances. No matter how unfair that sounds."

"It is unfair though?" Ruby asked, rising her head to look at Glynda. "164 people are missing; probably killed and turned to Ghouls, because we didn't manage to protect them. Is it unfair to say that we failed?" she asked, making everyone's face drop.

The usually stern woman, however, narrowed her eyes at the girl. "And 247 people are safe and accounted for, because you succeeded in protecting them from a 0-class Grimm. Don't undermine what you four did, Ruby. And no matter what you listen the next days, don't forget that."

The red girl opened her eyes, allowing a sincere and gentle smile to grace her face, matched by her teammates' rising ones. "Thanks, Professor. We really appreciate it." Glynda nodded in approval and turned to Ren.

"Have we still not managed to pinpoint its location?" The man narrowed his eyebrows before replying- an indication he didn't like what he was about to say. Next to him, Nora visibly deflated.

"We checked the entire area- the woods, the village and the Altar, as per team RWBY's instructions. We failed to find any single trace of the Grimm, save for the broken coffin and the skeletons underneath the Church, who are on their way to be transported to headquarters."

Goodwitch gritted her teeth. "Any signals in the radars?" Nora was the one who replied. "Nothing. Neither our equipment nor Mangrove's managed to get it. It's as if it vanished!" she exclaimed.

The cheerful girl's announcement was followed by a heavy silence, while everyone contemplated the implications of the report. Once more, it was Glynda who ended it, taking a deep breath.

"All right. Team RWBY" she addressed them, grabbing their full attention. "You are getting a 10-day leave to regain your strength. Use it to its fullest, since we do not know when you will be able to do so again." They all agreed; it was indeed much needed.

"Mr. Ren" she then turned to the man "From this moment onwards and until we have a solid lead on the Grimm's whereabouts, the entire region of Yugure is considered a type 0 threat zone."

He nodded in agreement, before she continued. "Nobody enters without your permission and your teams are advised to avoid it unless necessary. I will send you reinforcements to boost the forces of Cypress as soon as possible."

"Yes, madam!" Nora replied cheerfully, earning an eye roll from her superior. "That will be everything; I will see you soon enough." The call ended, leaving them to exchange stares with each other.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that this is the beginning of another crazy thing?" Yang asked them, earning a few reluctant affirmations.

"Ah, right; speaking of crazy things, Ruby" Ren grabbed a pen and a couple papers from his coat pocket, giving them to her. She looked at them and immediately stiffened.

In her arms were pictures from one of the extremely rare cases where she had allowed a reporter to get a photo of her for a magazine; she still remembered the harrowing experience as she turned her silver eyes to her friend in confusion.

Ren shrugged his shoulders "two of my recruits are members of your fan club; they asked for an autograph." Ruby's whine of protest got totally lost beneath the loud laughter of her teammates.

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**And that brings the Yugure arc- our introductory arc- to an end. There are two more chapters left, which will act as the epilogue for this and the setup for the next arc, I will probably upload them together on August 1st. **

**Thanks again for following, favoring or simply reading the story- I deeply appreciate it in so many ways! **


	15. Behind The Scenes

**Hello everyone, I am back to uploading! Today's chapter is the first out of four that will serve as the medium between the first and second arc, so it is kind of a small one. I still hope it is enjoyable. **

**I would also like to request one thing for today's chapter. I am a little worried, since the most of it is a dialogue between more than two people, if it is easy and fun to read for you all or I have failed to properly deliver it. So, if there is anything that seems confusing or needlessly complicated, please tell me in the comments; I will try my best to improve on it! **

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_**December 3**__**rd**__**, 85**_

_**Carmel Communication Company, City of Atlas**_

For the employees of Carmel Communications or CC for shorts, it was a typical day at work. The tall, glass-covered company building was bustling with activity, something totally expected for the headquarters of Atlas' main communication provider.

For 30-year-old Sophia Carmel, owner and CEO of the company however, that was not the case.

She had an urgent meeting in less than fifteen minutes and right now she was stuck striding through the beige-colored halls with a mostly unpleasant and irritating businessman.

"I still don't understand your refusal Ms. Carmel" the man, Mr. Clear was his name, said. He was significantly taller than her, with a shaven head and black, intelligent eyes. He was wearing an expensive-looking suit with the Schnee Dust Company logo on it.

The woman stood next to the elevator, turning around to look at him. Sophia was of medium build, with caramel-colored hair forming long curls that fell down her shoulders. She wore a creamy business suit with a red tie, matching her painted nails.

He continued, barely noticing her distress "the deal that Mr. Schnee proposes will be highly beneficial for both companies; you have to give me something to explain to him when I return empty-handed."

She let out a deep sigh, narrowing a pair of almond-shaped brown eyes at the man. "I am deeply sorry, Mr. Clear, you are right." She flashed him a fake smile. "Tell Mr. Schnee then, that I have two issues with his proposal."

"First" she held out one finger "unlike the other high-society people of Atlas, I actually have pride. Offering me an engagement to his son as part of a deal is an insult to me and everything my company stands for."

"But Ms-" he tried to reply before she raised another finger. "Second, I would never do business with someone who can't even arrange to meet me in person."

"Mr. Schnee is a very busy person, Ms. Carmel." She rolled her eyes, not even bothering to hide her irritation. "So am I. And I always meet my partners and potential investors in person."

Before he could reply she turned around. "In about two months, Carmel Communications will host a ball for our five successful years in business."

"What does that have to-""Tell Mr. Schnee that if he truly values a potential co-operation, he ought to grace us with his presence. Have a nice day, Mr. Clear."

Ignoring the man's protests, she stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to her personal quarters at the top of the building. She stepped out, moved to the single door and entered her code, triple-checking before closing it behind her.

The room was spacious, with an extended bar and a fantastic view of the city. She often came here to chill with a glass of alcohol and a cigar; now was not the time however.

She opened her PC and inputted a few commands, securing the line before she opened her personal communication channel.

Checking once more her line was clear she pressed the call command, allowing six monitors to lower down from the ceiling. The call connected in five of them, images of her comrades appearing on the screens.

On her left, a tall, yellow-eyed man was standing. He was wearing a yellow desert outfit, covering most of his body, letting only his tanned face and muscular arms to be shown. His black hair was long and he was sporting a long beard as well.

Next to him, was Bistre Woodrock, having finally let go of his innkeeper clothes and wearing a long ceremonial robe. He had the same solemn face as any time before, despite his recent shortcoming.

Opposing her, a short man with turquoise long hair and sparkling blue eyes was looking at her. He was wearing a pair of tattered brown clothes and glasses were hung from his neck.

The two monitors at the right were occupied by the youngest members of the group; a medium sized boy no older than his early 20s, with long scarlet red hair and piercing amber eyes was the first one. He was wearing a casual red blouse and blue jeans, an overcoat resting on his hands.

The final one was a faunus with cherry-colored hair, a pair of fluffy-looking fox ears and a long, flower-patterned kimono. Despite her elegant appearance, she had deep green eyes that were looking cautiously at everyone attending the meeting.

Sophia smiled widely- the first real emotion she had shown today. "It's good to see you all here." The faunus scoffed and pointed to the one empty monitor between Bistre and the blue-eyed man "it's not all of us; Dahlias is missing again."

"That simply adds one more issue to the things we wanted to discuss then" the tanned man replied in a stern voice. "I don't think we need to discuss anything, Maize" the faunus exclaimed.

The redhead boy chuckled "I am with Cherry on that. The rules of our coven say that if you fail to attend two consecutive meetings, you are either dead or compromised." He grinned wider "in which case you have to be dealt with."

"Ok, let's get this resolved quickly" the blue-haired man said. "Last time we contacted Dahlias, he was moving to southern Atlas. Sophia, are you up to the task of locating and dealing with him?"

"You are putting another issue to my back, Azure." She immediately nodded "however it is an important thing that must be resolved; consider it done."

"You were surprisingly easy to comply" Cherry raised a pink eyebrow. "Some of us are mature; I know it's hard for you to understand it, little fox" Sophia grinned. Cherry opened her mouth to retort, but she was cut off by the blue-haired man again.

"Please you two don't start fighting again." The faunus looked at him and humphed "nobody is fighting; you give me too little credit Azure." The man didn't reply; instead he turned to the rest of them.

"Now, about the main reason we are here…Bistre you have an explanation to give us about why you messed up so bad in Yugure." For the first time in the meeting, Bistre talked "It was the best that I could do, considering the circumstances."

The tanned man, Maize narrowed his eyes "your mission was to preserve Nyctos and help it slowly build us its strength until Azure finishes his project; not making such a crude and forced awakening" he reprimanded the fellow man, disappointment evident in his voice.

"I understand I messed up and for that, my brothers and sisters, I apologize" he solemnly bowed. "However, my mistake was not in what happened in regards to the awakening, but in underestimating everything that forced me to perform the deed."

"Ehm, care to elaborate?" the red-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "To make it simpler, I underestimated Nyctos' power and Melia Pale's tenacity." When he saw that everyone was looking at him in anticipation, he continued.

"Even sealed, Nyctos' ability to corrupt the mind was immense, especially after Salem's magic went off. After I offered it the first few sacrifices, it managed to project itself on the fog surrounding the Altar, hoping to attract more prey."

Sophia clicked her tongue "and one of the potential victims was Melia Pale." Bistre acknowledged the comment "despite succumbing to the effect, she found enough mental strength to fight back. When she realized she couldn't win, she preferred to take her own life than letting it control her."

He stopped for a second, checking around before he continued "from there, things went downhill with her family enlisting the aid of the renowned team RWBY."

"To make matters worse, Nyctos managed to drag towards it no one else than Ruby Rose herself, allowing her team to discover the hidden passage the very first hour they arrived at the village."

He stopped, looking at his comrades. Maize and Azure were looking at him with calculating eyes, while Sophia had a gentler visage. Cherry seemed more annoyed at their bad luck than at him, while Alizar…

Bistre looked at the boy, whose eyes had narrowed at the mention of Ruby Rose, a raging fury burning inside them. "At this point, I had to choose; either to force its awakening or let team RWBY find it in its sealed state."

"Or, you could actually kill team RWBY" Cherry replied, making everyone look at her. "Are you stupid?" Alizar told her, his voice writhing with anger.

"They are the people who killed Cinder; what makes you think Bistre would stand a chance against them?"

"I agree with him- and no, it's not just to anger Cherry" Sophia added. "If what Bistre said is true, then I believe he took the best course of action."

After four nods of agreement, albeit one being considerably reluctant, Sophia turned to Azure "speaking of things, how long do you think it will take for you to finally complete the formula?"

The man tapped his fingers on his desk. "It will take a decent amount of time- merging these ancient formulas with modern science is no easy feat and you know it."

Cherry scoffed "your predecessor was far more effective- and he was a wanted man."

"My predecessor had an entire life of work to support him and tons of experimental material. I have to run simulations that are not only time consumable, but also less reliable."

"This is a serious problem, Azure" Maize said. "Why didn't you mention it earlier? Our entire operation is based on whether you can finish the formulas or not."

"Oh, excuse me" he replied in irritation. "I thought it was pretty obvious that I don't have an island filled in Eldergrimm to make some serious field tests."

"Irony is no way to talk to a comrade, Dr. Glaucous" Bistre's eyes fell on him. "Spare me the pep talk, Bistre. I don't want to repeat myself- I need time to carry out experiments."

He paused for another second. "And I definitely need team RWBY off my back- last thing I need now is them snooping around my workplace."

"Which brings us to the last issue of our meeting- since they came across an Eldergrimm they are most likely to start delving. Not that I expect them to be able to find anything of importance, to begin with" Maize announced flatly.

"I disagree- underestimating your enemy is not a valid option. Cinder did it and they killed her. _Salem_ did it and they killed her" Sophia's voice rose.

"If team RWBY is still ignorant and beating around the bush, then it's the best moment to strike at them. Take them down before they grow to be a threat" she continued.

"I hate myself for saying that, but I agree with the Atlesian Bitch" Cherry added. "I agree as well" Azure said. "Same here" Bistre announced. "Then let me do it."

Everyone's head turned to Alizar who was now standing up, wicked excitement written all over his face. "Let me take them down. They are the main reason Cinder is not here with us. I wish to take them down- painfully."

"And how exactly are you planning to do that?" Maize narrowed his eyes in a judgmental manner. "If it were that easy, Bistre would have dealt with them already."

"I vote against sending that revenge-obsessed freak in such a serious mission that-" the fox-girl flatly expressed her feelings, before he cut her off. "I have a plan."

"If you cut me off again, I will come to Vale and reap off your tongue, you pompous asshole." Cherry announced flatly, without even straining her voice, but Alizar merely continued.

"I have a plan that not only will get rid of team RWBY; it will also provide us enough experimental data for Azure to speed up his project. I only want Cherry's help and one of your prototypes, Doctor."

"I refuse." The cherry-haired woman replied, but Sophia looked at him in interest. "What sort of plan is it that it requires Cherry to be removed from her post?"

Alizar rubbed his left arm, rubbing his huntsman emblem "I will sacrifice team RWBY to awaken Avyssos."


	16. War Council'

**Hello again! I hope you are all doing fine. Without any further ado, let's get to chapter 16. As always, thank you so much for following and reading the story- yes you will get tired of me saying it XD**

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_**November of 82, Miner's District of Mantle**_

Yang groaned in frustration as her feet carried her over the ever-busy Miner's District. All around the stone-paved road, seemingly unaffected by the chilling night air, countless little shops were going on business as usual, their red lights illuminating the blonde's path.

_If only they could shed some light inside some people's heads as well_, Yang thought. As soon as the words formed in her mind, however, she felt bad. Yes, Weiss had made her mad, acting way over the top since they had reached Atlas.

But, if she wanted to be honest with herself, it was not without reason; until Ironwood returned, they had been forced to lay low in Ms. Flinch's house in the lower city- an old friend of Ms. Calavera.

Well, after that one could easily guess why living in a place like that could make Weiss jumpy; the amount of people who wanted to lash out at her for the decades of suffering in the hands of the SDC was too damn high. And Yang's temper wasn't helping her friend at all.

She turned around and stopped at a stall with small, ornamental jewelry. _Maybe a gift could help raise her spirits a little bit_ she smiled fondly, before raising an eyebrow in wonder about her line of thinking.

The sound of an explosion and the sudden shaking of the ground snapped her out of her confusion. She looked around and saw a lot of people running down the district, moving towards the northern part next to the pit- where the mines' entrances were located.

Yang ran towards the source of the noise, seeing that people had started gathering around the entrance to a small tunnel. She pushed around the crowd and managed to get out of it, standing next to the opening- or what used to be one.

The tunnel's exit had completely been sealed, piles of rubble totally blocking every possible exit. In front of it was standing a group of faunus, probably miners if their clothing and uncleanliness were any indication.

What drew Yang's attention even more, however, was the girl lying down in front of them, visibly wounded and battered. One of the faunus, a man with deer antlers, knelt over her and asked for someone to assist him cover her wounds.

The blonde rushed to the girl's side without any second thought. She helped her raise her head carefully; she was definitely dizzy. "Good" he said. "Keep her still, please." She complied, using the opportunity to study the girl.

She was wearing an Atlas' academy uniform and had her weapon, a huge sword, next to her. Judging from how tall and well-shaped she seemed, she could definitely put it to good use. Her hair was jet black and a pair of pristine emerald eyes was visible through her half-open eyelids.

As soon her lilac eyes fell on her, the girl let a pained moan escape her lips. "Hey" Yang said calmly. "Can you hear me?" Her eyes opened a little more "yes" she replied. "Where is…my team?"

Yang looked towards the surrounding crowd, puzzled. One of the miners got near her and replied sadly "the girl and her team were inside when an explosion happened. They helped us get out, those poor children."

Yang gazed at the girl and then at the man "you mean…" He nodded "we only managed to get this lady out before the tunnel collapsed." She felt the girl move in her arms, forcing her to apply more power.

"No, they are fine…" she whimpered. "They will not die like this…they are strong…" the huntress' face fell a little. Losing your team was no small-

"Please…" she fixed her stare at the girl, her mouth wide open as she was eyeing the miners "Please…they are my friends…my team…"

Yang Xiao Long narrowed her eyes as she gently let the girl on the ground. "Is there another entrance to this tunnel?"

The men around her looked at the huntress in fear. "Yes, but it's very dangerous." She rolled her eyes "tell me something new" and opened her scroll.

"Hey Yang!" her sister's cheerful voice echoed through the microphone "did you hear the explosion?" She gulped "Ruby, are you in for a rescue mission? Some huntsmen need our help, in…" she looked around "mine 43."

She could nearly hear the gears in Ruby's head spin. "We will be there ASAP!" she replied before closing. Yang ignored the incredulous stares she got and turned to the girl who was smiling at her "thank you… so much…"

She flashed her comforting grin "don't worry; we will bust them out of there for sure. By the way, I am Yang. What's your name?" The green-eyed woman licked her lips and replied. "Lumia… Lumia Starlight."

_**December 9**__**th**__**, 85**_

_**Vale City Suburbs **_

Albus Duskwood couldn't help but stare at the enemy in front of him. He took the piece of cardboard in his hand, examined it again and again and again. Dropping his shoulders, he turned his gaze towards the perpetrator. "What the hell Ruby?"

The silver-eyed girl, sitting on the other side of the game board, gave him her best fake innocent smile before sipping some juice. Next to her, Weiss rolled her eyes at the display while Yang tried her best to suppress a chuckle.

"I am sorry, Albus, but Menagerie Naval has to be put down before you capture my entire South Mistralian coast" she said as she put a considerably large Leviathan piece on the board, earning a groan from the man.

"Oh come on Al" Yang smiled as she counted her dark energy points "it could be worse." He face palmed "I am playing as Menagerie, meaning my only means of expansion is by sea and your sister just put a Leviathan next to my harbor" he spat. "How could it be worse?"

"You could be Weiss" Yang replied flatly, causing her girlfriend to stare at her, clearly aware of what was about to transpire.

"I spend all my dark energy and play Call of The Dark Queen. That allows me to permanently steal the Nuckelavee she used to attack Vale."

"Wait a moment!" Weiss protested. "I have eight AK-200s in the same space with it!" Yang grinned "exactly. And as the rules command, since you lost control of it, it immediately attacks…" she rolled the die "…and kills seven of them."

Weiss stared at her lover with her best deadly glare, her eyes literally shooting daggers at her. "Well guess who is going to sleep-" A voice coming from the living room cut her off "sorry to interrupt, but you need to see this."

All four players turned around towards the source of the voice, who happened to be Blake Belladonna; wearing a set of comfy-looking sportswear as she was seated on a couch with a mug of tea in her hand.

On a sofa opposing her, was sitting a young girl with very long white hair and skin pale enough to put Weiss' to shame, if one wouldn't count the discolored grey spots in her arms and legs.

Her slender form was covered in black pajamas and she was holding a beer as her pale pink eyes were focused at the TV in the middle of the room.

The images played were very familiar to the RWBY members; Lisa Lavender was showing pictures from the destruction of Yugure, with a totally not-flattering title being displayed below.

**HUNTRESS' FAILED OPERATION LEADS TO THE DEATH OF MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE- NEW GRIMM APPEARS IN VALE**

"You can't be serious!" Weiss shouted, bursting away from the gaming table and straight next to her teammate. The pink-eyed girl nodded "I would like to say I wasn't expecting it; but I would be a liar" she replied with a clear, melodious voice.

"Still, Alexandra" Blake turned to her "I kind of expected Lisa Lavender to be a little more… toned down." Weiss raised an eyebrow "I agree, but" yellow turned around to meet blue "she isn't wrong if you strictly look at it."

"You are right, but…" Ruby walked next to them "…it feels wrong when people who weren't there say it like this" their team leader finished Blake's reply, just before the door to team LEAD's apartment opened and two people burst in.

The first one was Erik Rust; a slightly tall and muscular boy with brown hair and deep, warm chestnut eyes. He wore a long red coat and carried several pizza boxes.

Behind him, Lumia Starlight walked in, laptop in hand, her jet black hair tied up in a ponytail. She removed a white coat from her broad shoulders and let her glass-covered green eyes fall upon her friends.

"I guess you watched the news, too. Gotta hand it to them; getting pictures from a restricted area is neither easy nor legal. Lavender has balls."

A series of angry nods were the first reaction the tall woman earned. She motioned to her friends to move to the living room, where everyone got seated around the TV, as Erik and Yang passed them the food and some drinks.

"So" Weiss turned to the leader of team LEAD "what did you find in the lab?" Lumia removed her glasses "can't we eat first please? I have been experimenting on Yugure's findings all weekend. I will tell you before the movie start; I promise."

"You are right" she mumbled, before she slapped Yang's arm away "hands off my pizza, you robot-killing fiend!" Yang chuckled and kissed her cheek, happy to see that everyone else was too focused on their food to care.

The sound of eating went on for a while, only getting disrupted by Ruby and Albus arguing about the former ones' plans about upgrading Crescent Rose.

After a few jabs were exchanged and many slices were consumed, Blake wiped her mouth and locked eyes with Weiss, both feeling it was time to turn to the serious matter.

"So, Lumia, care to enlighten us now?" the faunus solemnly asked. They got seated more comfortably, Weiss allowing Yang to hug her despite the permanent scowl on her face and Alexandra sitting on Albus' lap.

"Well" Lumia started "first things first. I examined the coffin's remains." She turned to Ruby "you were right, Gunhead. The coffin is ancient. And when I say ancient, I mean older than anything I've ever seen; Salem's castle included."

The silver-eyed girl gulped. She bit her lower lip "I never thought I would hate being right so much…" Alexandra smiled "it happens to me all the time, you get used to it." Albus merely rolled his eyes.

"Anyway!" the tall girl fixed her teammates with an angry stare. "The chains and the lock on the door, however, are considerably modern. The technology used on them can't be more than 10 years old."

"Well that's reasonable" Blake interjected "anything else?" Lumia mowed down a large slice of pineapple pizza.

"You were fright about the lock. It was neither picked nor destroyed. Someone opened it normally." Everyone in the room froze, exchanging looks with each other, Yang being the one to finally voice their thoughts.

"Wait a second, Lu" she raised her hand "you mean to say that someone _released_ that thing? I thought Blake simply misunderstood." Erik rubbed his eyes "unless this Grimm has the ability to pick locks."

The black-haired girl sighed "someone who knew the combination for this door was in Yugure with you and wanted to set the monster free. Someone very not-Grimm" she concluded.

"I can't believe what I am listening!" everyone gasped as they turned to the source of the sound. Ruby had gotten up, her entire body trebling in anger, tears of rage falling from her silver eyes.

"Someone let this thing free? They let this monster into the world? WHY? So many people died! Why would they-" she stopped, realizing that everyone was looking at her in worry; Yang especially had gotten up and stood next to her.

"Rubes" she gently hugged her sister, who hugged her back momentarily and then turned around "I am sorry", she said as she walked towards the balcony "I just hoped we wouldn't have to fight people for once."

-o-

The snow had been continuously falling; the chilling cold did little to deter the red-cloaked huntress, as she watched the city lights flutter in the deep, white-coated night. She smiled, allowing happier thoughts to occupy her mind.

The sound of the sliding door getting opened made her sigh. As she turned around she was surprised to see Lumia instead of her sister standing behind her, smiling softly.

"Before you ask, I convinced Yang to let us have a little talk between team leaders" she said. "Sorry…about before. I guess I had a lot of things in my mind" Ruby replied, turning back to enjoying the view.

"I didn't know you liked city lights, Gunhead" she walked next to her. Ruby smiled "on our first date, Jaune and I were so nervous we ended up strolling the roads of Vacuo. At some point we managed to reach a hill without even realizing it."

She let her gaze linger for a while, eyes beaming in reminiscence "we just stood there, taking in the view of the city, hugging each other…it was… one of the best nights of my life" she wiped her eyes with her thumb.

"Since then, every time I feel bad, I try to find a place like that and just admire the lights; it reminds me of how amazing the world can be; it fills me with hope, like he always did."

"I see" Lumia nodded "then I guess the entire pep talk I had gotten prepared is needless, isn't it?" Ruby turned around and looked at her, determination evident in her eyes.

They walked inside, meeting the gazes of their friends. "Ruby Rose, you-" Weiss started but her partner cut her off "I am sorry, guys. I just needed to get it out of my system." She flashed them a brilliant grin, making all tension evaporate.

"It's fine as long as you are fine." Yang smiled. "Don't even think about it; that's what friends are for, aren't they?" Erik added. "YuP" she chuckled, before crossing her arms in her 'leader pose'.

"It's time for us to act; we may know very few things about the enemy, but there is something we can at least for now do- gather information."

"I can search the Vale archives for the chains' type and material" Weiss said. When everyone looked at her in confusion, she gave off a short groan before explaining.

"Nobody would ever mass produce these things, which means that either the culprit has a private laboratory, or he made a special order about them."

"Oh I see" Yang merrily replied "you want to check who made these and find out their client."

Weiss winked at her "when they were made, tensions between kingdoms were high; the possibility of making them outside of Vale is very low. And there are not so many steel manufacturing companies in Vale that could satisfy such a request."

Blake was the next to talk "I can search in Vale City Library for any cases in history with common traits to Yugure; it could help us establish possible connections or draw at least some parallels."

"Sounds like a lot of research." Alex pondered. "Do you want some help?" The faunus smirked deviously "Thanks, but Sun will probably tag along, so there is no need to worry."

"We would like to help as well, but our next mission in in two days. Sorry, but finishing the tests is the only think we will probably manage to do until then" Lumia apologized, her teammates' frowns matching her own.

"It's fine" Ruby gave an affirmative nod. "I will talk to commander Goodwitch tomorrow afternoon to let us some more free time to do our research."

Yang tilted her head slightly "why in the afternoon, though?" Ruby gave her sister a sad smile. "Because I have a duty to perform in the morning; I am visiting Melia Pale's grave."

* * *

**Author's Notes; besides lightening up the mood a little, the board game scene is my own way of venting about RT not having released it yet. I am a board game fan myself and I have been waiting to see if they will show us more of this interesting Conquest of Remnant style of board game. However, if you think it is way out of place in the chapter, please feel free to tell me, so I will avoid doing stuff like that in the future; thanks a lot in advance! **


	17. Red Vengeance

**Hello everyone, how are you? So, we reached the end of the first arc of the story. Unfortunately, I have nothing more to say about this save for a great thank you for the Xth time. I am really grateful towards anyone who read the story, even those who dropped it. **

**Without any more blabbering from my side, let's get to the beginning of our second Arc- hope you enjoy and have fun! **

* * *

_**December 10, 85**_

_All things considered, it was quite an enjoyable night,_ Albus thought as he threw the empty pizza boxes inside a large trash bag. He raised his head around the now empty apartment, trying to locate any other garbage lying around.

Yang and Weiss had left early and Erik had dropped off Lumia and Blake at their homes. Meaning, two ladies were remaining in his house this fine morning; and since his living room looked more like a scene from a zombie apocalypse, letting them sleep in was out of the question.

"Ok, lazy bums, time to-" he narrowed his eyes as the open door of Alexandra's room revealed an empty and neatly arranged bed, with a small piece of paper on top. He raised an eyebrow as he picked it

"_Good morning, my lovely penguin- Ruby had some business to attend to and I decided to stick by. Have fun cleaning; I love youuuu!" _

"_Good morning, Albus! I am having a few materials for Crescent Rose delivered today; I gave your address- thanks!" _

-o—

Not so far away, two figures walked along one of the suburban streets of Vale City. The tallest one wore a black beanie and a long woolen black coat, while the other was draped inside a bright red hooded cloak, holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms.

Ruby stopped for a second as she thought she heard a faint screaming in the distance. "Albus is going to be so mad." She turned around and looked at her companion.

Alexandra brushed back her white braids, a playful glee reflected in her pinkish eyes. "That makes it more interesting to me; finding ways to make it up to him" she winked, making Ruby blush.

"Aw, goodness Ruby. You still react so cute about some things." The red girl pouted "it's not my fault!" Alex chuckled "I didn't say it was a bad thing, Ruby. I actually find it so damn adorable."

She narrowed her eyes, trying her best to look disapproving, as they walked making idle chat towards the end of the long, white covered road.

Clouds covered the sky, but there was no snowfall for now, so the walk was considerably pleasant, the pale snow getting crushed under their boots.

After about half an hour, Ruby stopped. "Here we are" she pointed Alex to a fence- covered area, with tall cypress trees spreading around it. In front of them a tall gate made of black iron bars stood, its sign above saying "Vale City Cemetery."

Both women walked in, their previous happy chat having ceased as they strode past the graves and the large, silent green guardians that surrounded them.

At some point, Ruby picked out her scroll and made a small turn left, stowing it away as she looked at a lonely figure standing in front of a grave stone.

Alexandra stopped "you better talk to her alone; I don't think she will appreciate a stranger being around." Ruby tried to object, but immediately nodded. "I will be just behind you, don't worry" the albino assured her.

Ruby licked her lips in anxiety and moved towards the figure- a woman dressed in an elegant black coat, with equally dark hair tied up in a bun. She turned around, black eyes filled in make-up to try and conceal the tears fixed at the reaper. She held a large box in her hands.

"I am glad you could come, Ms. Ruby" the woman forced a smile. "I told you I would Ms. Pale" Ruby replied meekly, before both turned to look at the grave.

A beautifully crafted marble plate stood in front of them, colored white, any traces of snow recently removed to make room for flowers and photographs from her friends and family.

Ruby felt her lips quiver. In the top of the tablet, carved in honey-gold colors, was the girl's emblem- a sword hugged by a large tree vine. Next to it was the sigil of the Vale's Huntsmen Unit and below stood the phrase

"_Melia Pale, 17 years old. _

_Beloved daughter, sister and friend. _

_A true Huntress." _

Ruby stood tall and proud, wiping her tears off her face. She then let the flowers in front of the tablet and, to Ms. Pale's confusion bowed deeply before saluting.

"We know everything you did" Ruby said. "We found out that you got possessed by the Grimm to open the tunnel and that you resisted with every ounce of strength you had. We found traces of you trying to get away."

Next to her, the woman found hard to suppress her tears "we also know that, even when you realized you wouldn't escape, you preferred to take your own life than giving the monster a chance to be let free."

Ruby eased "Melia Pale, you were a true huntress. I salute you and hope that when we meet…" she smiled, allowing her tears to run "…we can be friends." She sent off a small prayer "rest in peace my fellow huntress."

"Thank you…thank you so much…" Bonette Pale was crying, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. "I am sure she would be happy to hear you say that- she idolized you as the hero she wanted to be."

Ruby gently let her hand grab the older woman's "If that thing had gotten released when it trapped Melia, without us around, it would have killed anyone.

But with her holding it back, she made it possible. You, Mr. Pale, your sons, every single person who survived was saved because of her sacrifice, Ms. Pale."

Ruby smiled at the woman "she is a great hero, one who deserves respect" _much more than me_. The woman sniffed "I…thank you. Thank you, Ms. Ruby. It has been quite tough these days…I…"

The councilman's wife raised the box and gave it to Ruby. "I… want you to have this." Ruby reluctantly took the box- and nearly dropped it when she realized what was inside, eyes open wide in astonishment.

"Ms. Pale…I can't…" the woman forced another smile "I know it's not much, but I am sure she would love to know that her blade will continue living her dream. I hope it's not a burden."

"A burden? Ms. Pale, you are giving me your daughter's weapon- there is no greater honor for a huntress! I am not worthy of such a gesture!"

A gentle, glove-covered hand wrapped around Ruby's fingers. "Your reaction shows me that you will honor her memory more than anyone, Ruby."

She looked at the box and the repaired sword that rested inside. "Thank you for the gift; I will do my best to prove worthy of it" she solemnly added, before she heard footsteps approach.

Both women looked to the path and saw Alexandra walking towards them. The woman stopped, gently bowed to Ms. Bonette and turned to Ruby "there is a guy that has been around for a while; very suspicious."

Ruby's eyes narrowed, her face hardening "are you sure he is not simply visiting someone?" The girl shook her head "he has been very cautious, trying to pass unnoticed but he changes grave every minute, moving closer to you."

"I see… where is he now?" Alex closed her eyes, and whistled in a supersonic tune, allowing her semblance to do the rest. Her head filled with information, as her brain slowly registered the surrounding area.

"About 20 meters away, on your ten. Behind a large grave underneath the nearest cypress tree." Ruby nodded "get Ms. Pale to safety." Alex raised an eyebrow "you are unarmed, Ruby."

Silver eyes flashed in determination "this is why you should be the one to protect her; don't worry, I can hold him enough for you to back me up."

Alex bit back a response, knowing Ruby was right; if the man was after the noble woman, taking her to safety was their top priority and Alex was by a large margin the best bodyguard in the SHU.

"Ms. Pale, please follow me. I will take you to a safe place." The woman tried to protest, but Alexandra's tone let her no room for negotiations. She grabbed her and slowly started moving, trying her best to not let their observer understand they had noticed him.

-0-

The man, dressed in a white jacket and a hoodie that covered his head, raised an eyebrow. Not only the white-haired albino walked away, leaving Rose on her own, the latter was now carefully leaving the box she had been gifted down-

His eyes opened as Ruby vanished from sight, leaving a cloud of red petals behind. "Who are you and why are you following Ms. Pale?" he turned around to see the girl standing a few feet behind him, a hard glare on her face.

"Good job noticing me" a youthful voice, full of confidence replied to Ruby as the man lowered his hood to reveal long scarlet-red hair tied in a wolf-like tail and a pair of piercing amber eyes, that seemed oddly familiar to the red girl.

"You didn't answer" she exclaimed. "Well, if I don't then what?" she raised an eyebrow "please just tell me what business you have with Ms. Pale- I don't want us to fight."

"Two things wrong." The man snarled "first of all, it's not the councilor's wife I am after; it's you. Thanks for sending your backup away, Little Red."

She tensed, her eyebrows shooting up to the top of her head. Only two people had ever called her Little Red, and as far as she was concerned, they had both been dead for quite some time.

"Second" he grinned cockily at her as he drew a large, two-barreled handgun with a glistering red-black coating from his side.

To her experienced eyes, it seemed as deadly as it was beautiful. "You are far from able to harm me, we both know you are unarm-"

Ruby's left fist collided to the man's face, sending him crash to the ground on his back. He screamed in pain and tried to shoot, but the girl vanished from in front of him and reappeared to his right, kicking the weapon off his arm.

He rolled backwards and jumped away, taking some much needed distance. "You have aura" Ruby said "and by the way you reacted even when caught off-guard, it is obvious you have been trained in combat."

She tensed her muscles, ready for the man's next move as he simply stared at her, pain evident in his eyes. "Holy shit that hurt! Who spread the rumor you can't fight properly without your weapon?"

Ruby rolled her eyes; this guy came here literally thinking that she was harmless due to being unarmed? Well, he was in for-

Her instinct and experience saved her, as the ground from below shook, large stone spikes impaling the empty air as she burst away to safety.

"Yeah, figures it wouldn't be that easy" his demeanor had now changed, his arrogant and cheerful tone replaced by a menacing glare. "You wouldn't be who you are if I could take you down like that."

The red reaper on her part, cursed on the inside. He had purposefully allowed her to disarm and hit him, in order to relax and think she had it under control.

_He is not only skilled, he also is cunning_ she thought, while anticipating his next attack. The one thing that unnerved her the most, however, was- she ducked away as another stone pillar shot from the snow-covered terrain beneath her.

Ruby burst into her semblance, striding through the cemetery, as many more spikes suddenly emerged around her landing point.

She pushed her speed to its limit, making a full U-turn from a tree, and shot herself as a javelin towards the man.

The ground beneath him shook, as chunks of stone shot up. The man spun his arms into a very elegant- and shockingly familiar- circle, creating a large wall that blocked Ruby's body slam.

Ruby used the hard surface as foothold, spinning around to get away from the incoming counterattack.

True to her expectations, the wall broke in numerous minor projectiles that her enemy sent around like scattershot.

She had been anticipating that and barely managed to avoid getting caught in the blast by hiding behind a gravestone. She then stood up, silver eyes narrowed in fury locking with a pair of equally angry amber ones.

"Who are you?" Ruby asked flatly. The man sighed "you have a very good idea, don't you?" She walked towards him, her body tense in anticipation of another attack, her face a rarely seen mask of anger.

"I know these moves and this sort of gaze. And what's worse, I know this semblance…" she hissed. He smirked, then raised his left sleeve, revealing a huntsman emblem- two curved swords, forming a jagged heart.

"It's the same semblance Cinder used" she finished, barely able to control her anger. "Mineral manipulation" he replied. "A hereditary semblance, passed through the Red Family to its two prodigies."

Ruby gasped- she knew what was coming next even before the man said it. "Alizar Red, that's me, and my sister Elia Red, known as Cinder Fall in her latest years."

He gritted his teeth, staring at Ruby, hatred permeating his very being. "Her latest years, until you killed her in Vacuo, Ruby Rose."

"You are here for revenge; to kill me for taking down your sister." She spat the words out of her mouth as if not believing them.

"Yes and no. I mean, I do want to kill you, but…" Ruby got ready to block another shot at her, but to her surprise he drew a scroll from his pocket.

"I want you to suffer first. Suffer the worst kind of pain possible" he hissed. "What do you mean the worst-" the scroll beeped and a woman's voice was heard from the speaker.

"Operation complete; unfortunately." He grinned evilly as confusion filled the red girl's face. "Please, Cherry. Explain to Ms. Rose what sort of operation you just completed."

A frustrated groan echoed from the speaker, before Cherry complied "Ms. Ruby Rose, I am honored to meet a warrior of your caliber. I am Cherry and I am really sorry to say, this pathetic coward's subordinate at this moment."

At this point, Ruby's pulse had skyrocketed. She knew she could try at least to perform a good attack; she could probably take him down as he was preoccupied messing around with her.

But… there was something lurking around. She could sense a dreadful, ominous feeling from his expression and mannerisms- "I am really sorry, but I have Mr. Arc in my possession."

Ruby's face drained of its color, her lips freezing in place as her brain did its best to not stop functioning. "Wha…t?" she whispered.

"You heard her; we have Mr. Arc's body in our possession. Do you understand-"

"What do you want?" her entire body was screaming in anger. She could count in one hand the times she had felt such ferocious rage and somehow Cinder seemed to be included in most of them.

"Told you- I want to see you suffer. Suffer and die in the worst way possible!" he shouted. "Give Jaune back- I will not ask twice. He needs medical care!"

He raised an eyebrow "I don't think so, Little Red. You see, Cherry here has enough medical skill to sustain him for quite some time."

She took one step forward. "Of course, if anything happened to me, she could very easily forget her skills, do you understand?"

She stopped, her eyes opening wide as her throat seemed to dry. "What sort of person would do such a thing?" "You are in no position to preaCH ABOUT MORALS, YOU BITCH!"

He slammed his foot on the ground "I could easily kill you right now- and I would enjoy every moment." She could sense his bloodlust grow as his breath became ragged.

"But this is not what I want; instead I want to give you a chance." She shot him a harsh, disbelieving glare.

"We promise to not harm Mr. Arc's body at all, if you and your team, WITHOUT ANYONE ELSE, come to meet me in Grimmwater Island in exactly ten days from now. I will return him to you then."

It was a trap. It was an obvious trap; this guy wanted all her team together and was using Jaune to get to them. It was a freaking trap- and Ruby couldn't do anything but step into it.

"RUBY!" Alexandra screamed from behind her, as she ran towards them with pistol in hand. She raised it and took aim- "STOP!" Ruby raised her arms and pleaded, making her friend cancel her attack just in time.

She turned around to Alizar. "How do I know you will keep your part of the deal?" He laughed in the most infuriating, arrogant manner she had seen after her last fight with the Fall Maiden.

"You don't. And that's what makes in even more delightful." He snapped his scroll shut and turned around to leave, letting Ruby kneel down and start crying in the white-haired girl's arms.

In the background, the sound from police sirens slowly filled the sky of Vale.


	18. Commence Operations

**Hello everyone! Chapter 18 is up, springing the second arc in motion.**

**I forgot last time, but in addition to thanking everyone for keeping up with the story, I owe a great thanks to my friend Raphaelia who had a great part into helping me come up with the ideas about Cinder you are going to see in the story. I hope you like the direction we will take and the slower pacing the second mission intends to have. If not, feel free to tell me :) **

* * *

To Sun Wukong, life was simple. Do what you want, be a decent guy while doing it and help your friends any way possible. He believed strongly that if you are a good person, the world will somehow repay it.

As he was laying down on his bed this morning with no clothing on to separate him from the half-naked body of Blake nuzzling at his arms under a warm blanket, the only thing that came to his mind was this;

_I must have been an extremely good guy this year._

He loved Blake, he loved everything the yellow-eyed girl did. But he was especially fond of moments like this; when after sleeping together, Blake would allow her soft naked form to rest in his arms.

Watching someone like her, whose cautiousness was beyond any level of normalcy, in such a peaceful and intimate state, filled the blonde's heart with warmth.

He partially blamed the fact that Blake's skin and underwear felt so good gently pressing his body, but that was not the issue at this point.

A small ruffle under the covers alerted him that he was not the only one basking at the gentle warmth. "Mmmm…you are doing it again, aren't you?"

"Doing what?" he chuckled. Blake repositioned her head, but didn't open her eyes "watch me sleep-you are doing it again."

"Can you blame me?" he reached out with his right arm, allowing his fingers to caress the large burn mark that run down his fiancée's neck- Summer Maiden's parting gift.

Blake wasn't especially mindful of the scar being touched; not any more than any other body part being touched at least. But when he did it, it made her feel strangely good.

One simple brush of Sun's fingers was soothing to the harsh skin- Blake purred slightly. It was strange; touching old wounds shouldn't feel so relaxing.

But then again, when Sun was around she did many things she once thought strange. She never had been one to seek warmth before- or to initiate physical contact. Love is weird, she had told Yang once.

Her scroll rang, breaking the couple's relaxation. The cat girl winced, reaching out to get it, brushing her body even more at her fiancé's.

Sun smirked and handed Blake her scroll; she answered, her voice still drowsy "Alex? What's the matter?" Her eyes shot wide and, before the monkey boy could ask, she continued "we are coming at once."

_**An hour later. **_

The SHU Technological Research Institute, or TRI for shorts, was one of the Unit's greatest assets; a small yet well-equipped facility built on top of an isolated abandoned Ozpin Dormitory.

The area was restricted, due to one of the four laboratories safe holding experimental dust, and save for the facility guards only a select few individuals were allowed entrance; especially on Sundays when everyone rest and visitors were scarce.

That didn't matter to Weiss however. Neither that, nor the lack of sleep. She had a job to do- information to extract from Yugure findings about the chains' manufacturers.

She adjusted her glasses, fixed her bun and straightened her lab coat. Thankfully, she was nearly done- Lumia had managed to acquire all the necessary samples the previous days.

That left for her only the task of preparing them for analysis and, after a few hours of hard work, all company samples were laying on the table, ready for testing.

She turned around to her companion. "The time of truth has come, Yang. Let's see who the manufacturer is." The tall, blonde girl turned around, her own oversized lab coat floating with her sudden motion.

Weiss rolled her eyes at her girlfriend. "Take this seriously, will you?" Lilac eyes gleamed at her through a pair of lab glasses "I am taking it seriously- I even allowed you to tie my hair in a bun!"

"Lab rules are lab rules, Yang" Weiss giggled "you look hot by the way." Yang winked at her "if that's the case, I may borrow Lumia's clothing for domestic use afterwards, then."

"Start the test run, now." Her voice dropped immediately, in an attempt to hide how appealing the offer was to her. A failed one, if her lover's grin was any indication.

"All, right. Will you oversee the procedure?" she asked as she put the first sample in the analysis chamber. "Yes; you only have to write down which materials shine and which ones don't."

Yang gave her a thumbs-up and Weiss quickly typed the command sequence in the computer. A few seconds later, the low roar of the analysis chamber filled the room.

The blonde looked at the monitor carefully, as Weiss sent the analysis Dust Beam on the sample arrays, giving her enough time to note any luminescence.

After she was sure the last one had been tested, she shut off the system and allowed Yang to remove the samples and start storing them.

She then looked at the blonde's notes "Only three samples match?" "Yes, and if you notice, I have underlined sample 18- it's the one that had the biggest shine."

"Good- that makes it…" she trailed through the catalogue before she stopped "…Merlot Industries…" she whispered loud enough for a flabbergasted Yang to stare at her.

"What!?" she asked. "Seriously now? This lunatic's company was involved in this?"

Weiss pursed her lips "well, as a matter of fact this is not unreasonable- Dr. Merlot was one of the leading figures in Grimm research after all; his company manufacturing such material is no surprise to me."

Yang tried to reply, but was cut off at the sound of the security door open and two set of footsteps entering, accompanied by a very familiar voice "Yang! Weiss! Are you here?"

"Is that Blake?" Weiss wondered. "Yes" Yang replied, alarmed "she sounds distressed-that can't be good."

The laboratory door opened, revealing Blake and Sun in their huntsmen attires. They were panting and their faces were painted a faint shade of red; possibly from running.

"Why do you have your scroll turned off?" the cat faunus groaned. "Laboratory safety- no electronic devices allowed. What's the matter?" the pale girl asked back.

"We have an emergency meeting at Goodwitch's; I will explain everything on the way." The couple exchanged a worried gaze before they rushed to get changed.

-o—

The silence inside Headmistress Goodwitch's office was only being interrupted by Ruby's rasped voice as she kept retelling this morning's events.

Headmistress Glynda was there; her stare not betraying her emotions at what she was listening to. Above her, a large monitor displayed Ren and Nora's faces, their expression continuously shifting between furious and worried.

Team LEAD was also there, dutifully standing on the wall next to the door, sporting various levels of concerned frowns.

Blake, Weiss and Sun were sitting next to each other on the left, still trying to process the new pieces of information the red girl was providing them.

Yang was sitting next to her sister, her entire body fuming in anger, while she was tenderly rubbing Ruby's hands to help her relax, if only a little.

"And that's the entire story, Professor." She finished grimly, before burying her face into Yang's arms, her lips quivering in sorrow, as the blonde's gentle voice was being whispered in her ears.

"Shhhh…it is ok, Rubes. We will get him back, don't worry." She nodded, pushing her face deeper into Yang's chest "I just…" she whimpered "…can't believe this happened…under our own noses... why can't they let him rest?"

"I still can't believe Cinder had a brother" Blake announced flatly. "Or that said brother not only has a vengeful bone to pick with us, but also accomplishes eager to help him with it" Weiss completed her.

"Speaking of which" Glynda turned to LEAD's side. "What did the police say, Ms. Spectre?"

Alexandra replied immediately. "The attacker was one single person. She was arrogant enough to simply waltz in and out of the hospital with Jaune in her arms."

"How could they do that?" Nora's voice echoed through the screen. "What did security do?" Ren added. "…" Alex looked at them in sadness "security tried to intercept them, along with one unit of policemen who were patrolling around."

She took a deep breath "they didn't even manage to get close- she killed six officers and sent four more to the hospital."

Everyone' face dropped immediately. "Oh no…" "These poor people…" Glynda shook her head "do we have a description of them?"

"I took some notes" Ruby sniffed. "Witnesses spoke of a female faunus with fox ears wearing a large Grimm mask and flower-patterned clothes."

"What?" Blake was the one who let her voice be heard. "Could it be-" "probably not." She turned around to see Weiss looking at them in deep thought.

"There are many reasons as to why, but the simplest one is this; any faunus can put on a Grimm mask and pretend to be an ex-White Fang member."

"I agree with Ms. Schnee at that- jumping into conclusions is not a good idea. Anything else, Ms. Rose?"

"Hmmm…oh yes. Her weapon- they described it as an oversized Naginata." "A what?" Yang asked in confusion. "A long spear with curved blade" Ruby replied. "Traditional weapon of-"

"Menagerie" Blake interrupted. "And even on that, the amount of people still using it is very small. A person with that skill would be noticeable."

The headmistress nodded "could you trace anyone matching the description, Ms. Belladonna?" she nodded back before replying "I will message my father- no one knows the island better than him."

"Good" the stern woman acknowledged. "Now, before we continue, there is one thing I want to make sure. Ms. Rose, are you sure this man calling himself Alizar Red told you to meet him at Grimmwater?"

"Absolutely." She firmly stated, wiping her tears. "Why do you ask, Professor? Do you know something about this place?"

Goodwitch fixed her glasses and made sure she had the entire room's- monitor included- attention. "I don't know it, but I know _of_ it. It's not a very old event, dating back to about six years before you attended Beacon."

"It was a private island, called Monsho in South Mistral. A huntsman called Octavios Red had settled in it, claiming it as its own after clearing the entire area from Grimm.

For an abandoned island, it seemed to be abundant in valuable gold and gems, helping Red to not only quickly establish a household, but also attract lots of workers and create a large port-town that developed a considerable trade route with the city of Nanko on the coast.

Lots of Mistralian officials tried to reach out to him and have him involved in the main land politics, but Red preferred to stay alone and isolated, which led to the island's demise."

"Grimm" Ren stated. "Nobody knows the details, but the Grimm attack on the island must have been ferocious." Glynda continued.

"When Mistralian Army ships reached the waters of Monsho, they found no single survivor, and the sailors said the massacre was so horrible; they got afraid to step on land- three search parties were sent, but none returned."

"For real?" Erik asked. "And what did they do, then?" Goodwitch shook her head "they simply declared the area a 0- type zone and forbade anyone from entering it."

Everyone's eyes fell on Ruby, who was staring at their commander, her silver eyes shining in determination. She opened her mouth to-

"Well, that's going to be an interesting ride, for sure." Yang's voice interrupted her sister. "What?" Ruby turned around to look at the blonde.

"Why are you staring at me like that? I just said it's gonna be an interesting rescue mission, Rubes." Blake's voice followed Yang's "we will have to pack provisions, for sure. We don't know if anything edible will be there."

Ruby turned around to her teammate in confusion, only to be interrupted again by Weiss "if you even try saying what I think you are about to say, I will kick you so hard you will be sleeping face down for a week, Ruby Rose."

Silver met blue, and then yellow, and finally lilac before Ruby gave the first honest smile she had for quite some time, instantly brightening the room. "And you call _me_ a dolt" she murmured "group hug, now!"

"AHEM!" their commander's voice made everyone freeze. "Despite approving such an excellent display of team bonding, I would request you to not forget where you are!"

"Sorry, Professor…" the brunette shrank under Goodwitch's fierce glare, while the rest of her team coughed to hide their embarrassment.

"Back to track…" she narrowed her eyes "… you know I can't in good faith approve of one of my best teams enter such a dangerous place- and step into such an obvious trap."

Team RWBY exchanged glances, each getting the message the others wanted to convey, before Ruby stood up and announced in her best serious voice.

"Professor… we are asking for your support, not your permission." Glynda's eyes shot open wide and everyone else froze in place as the heavy silence spread slowly around the room.

And then, the blonde woman sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose "there's no stopping you, is it?" Ruby shook her head "I love Jaune; if there is even one tiny little chance of him waking up, I want to provide him with it."

"Same here!" Nora's voice echoed from the monitor. "We-" "Rejected." Glynda turned around at them, locking her eyes on Nora's turquoise ones- fully seeing the hurt inside them.

"Wha- No! Professor, you can't do that!" she screamed, pushing her head to the camera. "Jaune is our best friend! He needs us! We can't-" "NORA!"

Ren's shout stopped the hyperactive girl's outburst, as she turned around to see her husband. He was looking at her, his face stoic as always; despite that, Nora could see the sadness behind it.

"I cannot pull away the two commanders of Cypress when we are expecting a top-class Grimm attack at any moment, Ms. Valkyrie." Her voice was solemn, yet firm.

"We… understand Professor" Ren replied bitterly. "Ren, Nora" Ruby said. "I promise I will bring Jaune back. If there is even a chance of turning back, I will do anything I can to bring him. Just, trust me- I know it hurts, but just put your faith on us."

"Right…" Nora lowered her gaze "I am sorry, Ms. Goodwitch…" The Professor simply nodded "a huntsman must sometimes make tough and harsh decisions, if they are for the good of the people. I am proud of you for understanding that."

She then narrowed her eyes "tomorrow a legion of 100 Valean Soldiers will be restated near Mangrove to provide assistance. Finding anything about that Grimm takes full priority."

"About this, Commander" Weiss intervened. When Glynda nodded at her to continue, she gave her an envelope. "Today morning, I ran some tests- it seems that the chains and door restraining the coffin were manufactured by Merlot Industries."

Everyone in the room save for Yang exchanged gazes of disbelief. "This thing becomes even weirder" Albus murmured. "Merlot was really into researching Grimm- it is not as weird as it initially sounds" Blake deadpanned.

"Correct, Ms. Belladonna. The problem is, Merlot Industries is no more and we can't trace their archives for former clients, since they were all destroyed with Mt. Glenn."

There was a thoughtful pause, before Lumia spoke "I could reclaim them, however."

"Say what?" Yang asked, as Glynda continued "how could you do that Ms. Starlight?"

"Well, every single corporation worth a lien has the policy of keeping backup files in electronic forms, very carefully sealed inside storage vaults."

As long as she saw she had everyone's attention, Lumia continued "unless anyone opened the vault and let Grimm inside, there is no reason for them to be damaged. I only have to find one of their terminals intact and I will easily have all company info."

"It shouldn't be that easy- should it?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. "If I was trying to get into corporation formulas and secret stuff, no it wouldn't."

"But something as simple as getting a client list or a manufacturing catalog should have very lax security- it will be a walk in the park for Lumia" Erik completed his team leader's thought process.

"Allright!" Professor Goodwitch stood up, clearing her throat to get anyone's attention before speaking.

"Mr. Ren and Ms. Valkyrie, I am leaving you with the task of locating the Eldergrimm." They both nodded in approval.

"Mr. Wukong." Sun shot up "Yes, Madam!" he replied a little too eagerly. "Take one of your best teams with you and work with the Vale Police and Mr. Belladonna to find out anything you can about the mysterious woman."

She then turned to team LEAD "your mission just changed, Ms. Starlight. Your team will go to Mountain Glenn and try to access the Merlot Industries' archives to find out any possible lead in the investigation."

Yang bit her lower lip, as Blake gently elbowed her before Goodwitch turned at them.

"I will ask to get a bullhead to Nanko ready for you- you have 8 hours to get ready." Ruby beamed at her, but Glynda dismissed her quickly.

"Let's commence operations; get ready and please don't make me regret this, Ms. Rose." The redhead bowed respectfully and followed her team outside, letting Glynda look at the old photograph on her desk.

"Don't judge me" she addressed the image. "You would have done the same thing, after all."


	19. Undercover Investigation

**Hello everyone, how are you doing? Uploading earlier this week, due to expected double shift at work tomorrow. **

**In this chapter and the next, we will be having a little world building (or at least my attempt at world building). I hope I manage to make it interesting enough that the lack of action will not bore you. **

**Again, thanks a lot to everyone who is still keeping up with the story! Hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

_**December 13**__**th**__**, 85 **_

_**North of Port Nanko, Kingdom of Mistral**_

The sound of the bullhead's engines was the first thing Weiss noticed as her eyes opened. She yawned- in a dignified manner- and rubbed her eyelids before getting up her makeshift bed.

She looked around the small plane's room. Blake and Yang were still sleeping in their own bedrolls, but Ruby's was empty. No surprise there, of course. Ruby and sleep had parted ways these last days.

The petite girl walked towards the small storage room- the only possible place her partner could be, since the pilot had banned her from entering the cockpit.

Before she would reach the door, however, it opened wide revealing… Weiss blinked a few times to make sure she actually had woken up and this was not some weird nightmare from the accumulated stress.

Ruby was wearing a long white suit, with a grey shirt below her tuxedo. A pair of dark sunglasses covered her dimmed silver eyes. In her hands she was holding a blonde wig that she had most likely been trying on.

"Hey Weiss! Good morning!" her demeanor was a good attempt at sounding as cheerful as usual, but anyone who knew Ruby Rose as well as Weiss Schnee could notice the strain behind her smile.

"This is a horrible disguise, Ruby" she announced after a few seconds. The red girl deflated "this is the only way to carry Crescent Rose and Thorn with me without drawing attention, Weiiis…" she whined.

Then she pointed towards the large fake cello case that rested on the wall behind her. The white girl scoffed "the whole point of a dress-up is to draw attention away, Ruby; not doing the opposite."

Her leader looked at her and then lowered her eyes "you are possibly right; but we have no other choice right now. Covert ops are Blake's specialty, not mine and we didn't have enough time. Besides, it will only be for a few hours until we get a boat and leave Nanko."

Weiss would usually retort, but she decided her friend had enough in her mind as it is; the whole undercover part of the mission was simply a last resort to not let anyone notice the famous team RWBY after all.

She concluded that probably it didn't matter if the brunette, soon-to-be-blonde, drew attention as long as nobody recognized her.

"Just let me do the talking when we arrive, ok?" Ruby winked at her, albeit less playfully than usual "you always do the talking anyway."

"Ladies, I wouldn't like to interrupt but…" the pilot's clear voice sounded from the intercom "we are landing at Nanko in less than an hour, you better wake up your teammates."

"Sure, thank you!" a chipper voice replied. It was followed by sounds of the young team leader trying to pull the bumblebee pair out of their comfort.

And then, groans. Followed by complains. And then the sound of girls arguing- followed by them changing clothes while a high pitched voice tried its best to convince them otherwise; that must have been the Schnee girl.

-o—

Nanko was a beautiful port city. Built in the lower part of a picturesque hillside, its most notable feature was a magnificent river that ran through it, separating it in two districts.

The North District, known as the Upper-class, was a mixture of traditional Mistralian houses with lots of modern buildings, hosting all local authorities and the local merchant and fishing guilds.

The South District, on the other hand, was located around the Nanko port. It was filled with small, humble houses hosting inns and providing shelter to the many fishermen and sailors.

These people had a rather simple way of living; work to earn lien and then spend them in food, drinks and music. They rarely mingled with the upper-class citizens, unless they were hired to work on some fancy ship.

It goes without saying at this point, that the sudden appearance of a pair of young and well dressed women in the middle of the port was a rather unusual sight.

"Excuse me…" the shorter one said as she approached the closest group of fishermen. Her clear and dignified voice stood out like a sore thumb.

She wore a long light blue pair of pants and low-heeled brown shoes. Her lithe form was covered by a white blouse decorated with flowers and a sleeveless brown vest on top of it.

The men turned around to look at her; she had a pretty face, with pale white skin and intelligent cyan eyes, framed by medium length chestnut hair. She had a backpack hanging from her shoulder and a blue umbrella in her left glove-covered arm.

She adjusted her glasses as her companion- a taller blonde girl wearing a white suit and shades- approached with a large cello case on her back.

"Can I ask you something please?" again, her voice was calm and mesmerizing; an air of superiority surrounded it, making her appearance further enchanting.

"What do you want lady?" the closest man replied, forcing a crooked smile. "I want to rent a boat and someone to take us out in the ocean." The men exchanged looks "where to?"

The blonde tipped the fedora covering her hair and replied instead. "South of the port, straight ahead for about a day."

The men all exchanged stares, eyes opening wide in fear and terror. "No way lass. There is no way you want to go there." The brunette whirled her umbrella "but this is exactly where we want to go."

"I don't know why you would even want to do that, but the answer is no." The man lowered his voice as he looked at them "these are evil waters, ladies. And I mean _evil_. There is no reason for you to go there."

The blonde stepped forward and lowered her shades, a pair of pleading gunmetal eyes staring the fishermen. "Please, I beg you, it is very important. We…have to get to these waters, please!"

As the men stared at her in pity, she continued "we can pay you as much as you want; we can even buy the boat and get ourselves there! Please, just help us!"

"That won't do, lady" another man replied. "In these waters, just behind the mist, lies Grimmwater Island. No one goes there and comes back alive after the massacre eleven years ago."

"We know that, but-" "And it becomes even worse, lady." At this point his voice had turned into barely a whisper. "Bad dreams seep out of this place; they infect the people."

"What bad dreams?" the other girl asked. "The curse of Grimmwater; it kills everyone who reaches it and the ones who get close but return, bring the curse with them." She scoffed "that's stupid."

The man gave off a wicked laughter "lots of us thought the same and got too close for comfort…we even prided us for returning. But the curse is in us; there is no rest now for the foolish who braved the bad waters… no sleep for us except for the one these provide."

He grabbed a bottle of alcohol and took a sip "what about old Waj?" When another guy asked, drawing both women's attention. "Oh, shut it Song!" The blonde, however, moved forward towards the guy.

"Who is this old Waj?" she asked, her voice slightly trembling. "Well he is a former fisherman and diver; he lives in the outskirts of the port. He has a boat that hasn't seen the ocean for about ten years."

The umbrella-wielding girl raised an eyebrow "you are the sixth group of people we ask, how come nobody mentioned him before?"

"He is a little crazy, that's why. Spent too much time fighting Grimm in his youth that he has slightly lost it. Most of us do not even mention him anymore."

The fedora-wearing girl exchanged looks with her companion, before she turned to the men once more "please tell us how to get to his house."

-o—

"That was tougher than I expected it to be" Ruby turned to Weiss as they both strode above the boardwalk, moving towards Waj Greene's house.

"I hope Blake and Yang had better luck than us." Weiss replied. "Yeah… it would be nice for once..."

Ruby's weak response did not escape Weiss, who pulled a strand of her wig away from her eye and stopped, grabbing her partner's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shades met reading glasses, before Ruby just looked away "there is nothing to say, Weiss… really. I am just… so worried right now."

Weiss grabbed Ruby's chin, raising her head to look her in the eye "of course you are, Ruby. No one denies that. You- what you have been doing for the last year is incredible."

"But not enough!" the outburst caught Weiss by surprise, making her step back as the taller girl lowered her head again, rubbing her eyes. She then looked around, glad to see nobody had bothered to even stare at them.

"Sorry…" she whispered. "Don't be; you have to get it out of your system at some point or you will burn out, Ruby" Weiss smiled at her.

"I know…but…" she bit her lip "after what we experienced in Yugure… I feel so…I don't want to burden you with this again…" Ruby hugged her shoulders, the oversized case rapidly swaying in her back.

"Since when you became such a pessimist, I wonder" her partner softly pressed her fingers into her shoulder. "It happens, you know… Uncle Qrow, Aunt Raven, Ozpin… Jaune…at some point I am simply tired of failing to protect the ones who matter…"

"You protected me." Ruby raised her head to see Weiss, her cyan eyes beaming at the younger girl. "And Yang and Blake. Ren and Nora. Sun, Neptune, team LEAD, Oscar. All of us are here because of you."

"Weiss…" "The reason we can live like this and be happy with each other is because of the many things you gave for us, so let us help you in return Ruby. Let us help you find happiness too. The world is much brighter when you smile."

A thin line formed in the redhead's lips, its edges slowly curving upwards to form an affectionate smile. "You took that quote from Yang, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You are the second best sister ever, do you know that."

"Well" she replied with a haughty smirk "after some time, being just the best partner is simply not enough." "YuP" Ruby giggled "thanks, Weissy…I feel better already."

"Anything for you" the petite woman replied. "Let's go find Mr. Greene; I don't want to keep Blake and Yang waiting for too long." Ruby nodded "right behind you, second best sister." "You are such a dolt."

-o—

Waj Greene's home, or ran-down shack as Weiss described it, was a wooden, mold covered establishment at the edge of the port, far isolated from the other houses.

The air was smelly and filled with the stench of fish and salt, as both girls walked towards it along the half-destroyed plank. A small boat, kept in surprisingly good shape, was docked right behind it, the name "_Poseidon"_ scribed on its bow.

"It does look well-preserved" Ruby said. "Unlike the rest of the place" Weiss added sniffing the air in disgust. "If you don't like it, feel free to go home…" a hoarse, heavy voice was heard from behind them.

Both huntresses let their eyes fall upon the man. Waj Greene, assuming this was him, was a tall man with broad shoulders and tanned skin, filled in wrinkles and scars.

His hair and beard were long and unkempt, its green color fading to white at the edge. Green eyes looked in mild disapproval at the girls through their deep sockets, as he tried his best to look threatening despite the bad state he seemed to be in.

"So who are you ladies?" he asked, slowly moving towards them. His way of walking was strange and Weiss looked down, seeing his left leg was not made of regular flesh but had a scaly, reptilian texture instead.

He wore no shoes, making visible his green clawed toes, connected together by a large membrane. The left leg was missing, a wooden stilt having taken its place.

Realizing she was probably being very rude staring like this, she snapped her attention back to the man exactly as Ruby replied to him. "We are looking for Mr. Waj Greene; are you him?"

The man groaned and Weiss added "this lady here is Becky and I am Willa. We are-" "-either huntresses, or soldiers. Judging from the lax attire, I would say the first" the man cut her off.

"So much for laying low" Ruby pouted. "Don't worry over this, lady. I was part of the Mistralian army for a few years back in my time; there are no way well-proportioned bodies such as yours are not trained for combat."

"Well, that saves us the explanation then. Mr. Greene" Weiss professionally announced "we would like to buy your boat." The man scratched his nose with a wrinkled arm "what for?"

"Confidential" Ruby tried her best to sound professional as she narrowed her eyes-behind the shades. "No then." He turned around and left, slowly entering his house before Ruby jumped in front of him.

"Sir, I know it sounds weird, but we really do need this boat!" Abandoning every single notion of professionalism, her high-pitched voice echoed inside the shack from the half-open door.

"Just tell us how much you want; it is not a problem for us." Ruby turned around "it isn't?" Weiss nodded "we will charge the Unit for it." Ruby gulped "you-know-who will kill us." "And it shall be worth it."

"If you are done blabbing" he groaned again "money is not the issue here." The silver-eyed girl tilted her head "then what-"

"You are huntresses, lady" he explained in a tired voice. "You need a boat for a mission obviously. And there is only one place you would need a boat to get to."

He pointed his finger across the sea. The fog permeating the area was thin, allowing the winter clouds to be clearly reflected on the surface of the ocean- except for the place Waj was pointing to.

A mass of clouds, like a heavy purple-blue curtain, was gathered in the middle of the ocean, completely cutting off a considerably large part of the sea from the girls' view.

No seagull seemed to be flying close to it and the few fishing boats spread all over the place seemed to go out of their way to avoid it. "You want to reach Grimmwater, don't you?" he spat the words.

"Yes" Weiss replied as the man shoved Ruby and entered the shack. "Then it's a no- I am not helping you get yourselves killed in that accursed land."

The white rose pair looked at each other- and entered the shack as well. The place's interior was as bad as the exterior, with pieces of junk and broken furniture spread all over the floor and next to the fireplace.

Mold seemed to be creeping everywhere and the half-patched windows barely allowed the dim winter light to enter the place. An impressive collection of alcohol was kept next to the barely-formed bed.

"Hey" he said, visibly annoyed "get out of my house before I call the police." The ex-heiress took her best pleading impression "we will, just please listen to us-" "This is amazing!"

Both Weiss and Waj looked at Ruby who was standing over the only clean square in the area. A large harpoon was on display on a desk, its blue metal tip filled with small holes accompanied by a heavy green handle with a transforming mechanism.

The man stared at her in awe as Ruby affectionately examined it "the materials are exceptionally durable and light. The mechanism allows it to transform into a pellet- using gun, my guess would be one that utilizes ice dust."

Ignoring the stares she got from both of them, she continued "the tip has been dulled by the overuse and there are residues of waterproof coating all over the handle. This…" she turned to the old man "is a huntsman's weapon. And one that has seen a lot in its life."

Weiss smirked as Waj Greene's shoulders fell "I told you I was part of the army, didn't I?" Ruby solemnly answered "you didn't tell us you were part of the Elite Sea Defense Huntsmen Unit of Mistral, however" she replied, removing her shades and wig.

"It is an honor to meet a fellow warrior, Mr. Greene." His eyes opened wide, barely reflected in the silver orbs staring at him. He let his gaze fall on the other woman.

"The honor is mine Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee. I feel so stupid for not realizing it before." He sat down as Ruby handed him the harpoon. "Proteus had been the terror of the aquatic Grimm near the coast for at least 20 years."

"Was this when you lost your leg?" He sighed "yes, but this was not why I retired. It is a weird story, but directly involves Grimmwater, so I think it would be in your best interest to hear it. Are you hungry?"

"We wouldn't like to impose on your hospitality" Weiss objected. "Nonsense" he replied. "Fellow warriors are always welcome at my home. I hope you like eel soup."


	20. Hunting for Information

**Hello everyone, how are you doing? Nothing more to say than chapter 20 is up. It is a continuation of information dump- I would like it to turn interesting enough despite the lack of action. I hope you enjoy it! **

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_**A few hours earlier, Nanko airport**_

"This is ridiculous, Ruby" Blake's voice flatly announced to her suit-wearing team leader, who had just finished styling her shades. "No one who cares will be fooled by these outfits."

Dressed in her own disguise and wig, Weiss shot a sympathetic look to the faunus. Ruby's choice of disguise for their friend was a short jeans skirt with black leggings and flat red shoes.

A black blouse on top and a red shawl completed the outfit, along with a ridiculous-looking red beanie to hide her ears and a scarf along her neck. Her hair was tied up inside the beanie, pumping it in many places.

She picked up her suitcase and backpack, as her team leader spoke. "I may have packed our disguises a little hasty, but rest assured nobody will recognize you- how are you feeling the sclera contacts?"

Blake's now small full scarlet orbs blinked in well-concealed satisfaction. "They are the only thing I totally approve of; nice touch to get faunus-compatible ones. Aside from that, I look like a suave painter."

"Oh come on now Blakey! Rubes thought of you a lot! Don't be grumpy and flash a purrfect smile!" three sets of groans were heard followed by a smiling Yang.

The tallest member of the team wore a long purple skirt with brown leather travel boots. A long white sweater and creamy gloves was the only top she had, with a brown trench coat resting on her arms.

Her wild mane was neatly combed into long straight strands and painted dark brown, with a few blonde tips. She let down the duffel bag that contained her equipment and carefully put on her own honey-colored contacts.

"That pun was almost as painful as the beanie pressing my ears" her partner shot a glare at her. "It means I am still in good shape-ouch!"

Weiss, who had walked next to Yang, flicked her in the forehead. She then spoke to Blake in a tired voice.

"You are making way too much fuss over this; I don't like my attire any more than you, but I don't complain."

"Which is weird, given your previous record" Blake jabbed, earning a giggle from Yang. "I hate it when you are all moody." "Blame your partner for this."

"All right, everyone!" Ruby slightly raised her voice. "Like it or not, this is what we have and we make due with it! Blake" she turned at the disapproving faunus "you said you wanted to go to the library, right?"

"Yes, I think I can find information more accurately there than by asking the locals." Ruby nodded "then that's what you and Yang will do. We, on the other hand, will try to find a boat and maybe fish some information from the sailors."

Everyone agreed and Ruby grabbed her cello case "let's go then; we don't have all day!" Yang shot a worried gaze at her marching sister and then looked at her lover's eyes.

Weiss nodded, having received the unspoken message, and stormed off after their team leader.

-o—

"Are you sure you are all right?" Blake's voice snapped Yang out of her thoughts, making the blonde-now-brunette turn around at her partner, walking down the main street of Nanko Northern District.

"Yes, why are you asking?" a red eye glared at her, showing Yang that her attempt wasn't even adequate. "You know, because you seem worried. And for a good reason, if I might add."

She fixed her coat and adjusted her glove to conceal her metal arm even better "After Atlas, Ruby has always been one to take our missions seriously and professionally."

Blake offered her a sincere smile "But this time, she acts way too serious, is what you mean?" "Yes. She still smiles and acts happy and stuff, but I can see she is forcing herself to."

"I can see what you mean" she slowed down her pace "she has been bearing a heavy burden in her conscience, but Ruby has always been a person of admirable strength."

Yang cracked her neck "yeah. And Alizar abducting Jaune and killing those innocents, just to get at her… I think it shook her up more than she expected to."

"Well, that's why we are all here, aren't we? To save Jaune and make things right. We can't bring back the people they killed, but we can stop them from doing worse."

"I know, kitten. I just… lately I feel I am doing even less for Ruby. She is our leader, she is a remarkable huntress, but she is my little sister no matter what. I wanted to give her some space… but am I doing well?"

"You feel like you should be around her more?" the faunus asked back in a curious manner. "Shouldn't I? I mean, she obviously needs to-" "Yang" her partner cut her off.

"I understand how you feel. Ruby is like a sister to me as well, despite not being blood-related. This is why I think you are doing a remarkable job as an older sister."

"Blake?" Yang stopped walking and turned to look at her best friend. "Loving someone is taking care of them, yes, but it also means letting them grow on their own."

"And in that aspect, you are doing magnificently. You also said the exact same thing at Mr. Pale back then, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did…" Yang smiled "but do you really think it's for the best? Am I not neglecting her too much?"

"No, you are not. And that is because I know you and I know Ruby. She wants to fight her own battles and you respect that. But you are always around when she needs someone to lean on."

She winked at the taller girl "and when you are not, you make sure Weiss is." Yang chuckled; her mood significantly improved "you noticed that, huh?"

"I didn't have to" Blake started walking again "I just know Weiss would rather die than having Ruby or you get hurt."

"The same applies to you as well you know that, right?" She flipped her hair, in a very un-Blakey movement "of course I do. She wouldn't like to lose her chess partner now, would she?" she grinned mischievously.

They both walked up the stairs of the considerably large building that Nanko Public Library was. Yang moved in first, Blake slightly behind, striding across a carpet-covered floor to a small bench.

A short man wearing casual clothes was seated behind a large computer, with black curly hair and brown eyes. He had a tag indicating him as a member of the library staff.

"Good morning" Yang gave him one of her most reserved greetings. "Good morning ladies, welcome to Nanko Library. How may I be of assistance?"

"My boss over here" Yang pointed at her partner who had donned a haughty expression of superiority "wants to take a look at the old local newspapers. Do you have an electronic archive?"

The man looked at the disguised faunus who raised a non-amused eyebrow at him. "Indeed we have- the PC room is at the back of the first floor. Just give me your names please."

"Liana High, nice to meet you. This lady is-" "I know how to introduce myself, Liana, thank you." The voice was so flat and emotionless, for a split second Yang thought she maybe had accidentally swapped her partner for an actual painter.

"I am Samantha Noir; please make sure to spell it correctly." The man gulped and gave them a couple password cards, all the time not letting his eyes off Blake.

"Is there any problem sir?" she asked coldly. "I am sorry, Miss. I just can't shake the impression that I have seen you somewhere off my head."

"Ms. Noir is a street artist; you possibly have seen her around." Yang exclaimed to the man, as Blake turned around and left towards the first floor.

"Liana, I am not paying you to chit-chat!" the voice echoed in the library. _You are way too into this, kitty-cat_ the blonde grumbled as she followed suit.

-o—

A few hours later, Yang and Blake were still seated on their PCs, the umpteenth newspaper article passing in front of them; the headlines talking about everything save for the one thing they wanted to find.

"Geez, this is taking forever!" Yang groaned. "Why don't we simply ask the guy for an exact date instead of browsing all newspapers one by one?"

"Because we don't want to draw attention to our true reason for coming here" the red-eyed beauty replied. "It negates all the effort we put into our disguises."

Yang clicked another date on the browser. "We passed all of 73's newspapers and the most important part concerning Red is their unusual number of gold exports in the local area."

Blake opened one more "if you have any better ideas, I am all ears. At least we know how the price of fish and seafood stocks fluctuated twelve years ago."

"How did I manage to live without that important piece of information until now, I will- hey I found something!" she cut off herself when the next newspaper headline opened on the screen.

"Good job, Yang!" the brunette tilted her head to take a look. The newspaper dated March 3rd, 74. The main headline was an irrelevant thing about the price of gold dropping, but this didn't matter.

Because right below, stacked in a small paragraph, both girls read the following announcement.

_MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS CLAIMS THE LIFE OF LADY CHARLOTTE RED. _

_Lady Charlotte was the caretaker of the Red Mansion, a role that will be passed to her only daughter Elia in two years when she comes of age. _

_The funeral will be held today in the Monsho Island cemetery, with full attendance of Lord Octavios Red and his three children, Elia, Alizar and Robus. _

"Seems like the names match- the ages seem to match as well. If we assume this Elia is actually Cinder, it means she was about twenty-two when she attacked Beacon."

"Well, that is- hey I got another match!" Yang opened the tag

_March 12__th__, 74 _

_The Mistralian Council has expressed their growing concern for the sudden increase in Grimm population around Monsho Island, blaming it on the increase in negativity following Lady Red's demise and the sudden disappearance of two groups of fishermen in the waters around it. _

_When asked, Lord Red replied that there is no reason for concern. The huntsmen of the island and the defenses around Nanko are more than enough to ensure safety. _

"I would laugh at the irony, were it not so tragic" the blonde announced as she opened another file.

_March 25__th__, 74_

_Growing concern surrounds the area of Nanko, following Octavios Red's denouncement of lordship from the Mistralian Government. The Council insists it was a necessary act, while the enigmatic ex-noble hasn't made any public announcement. _

_Meanwhile, the increase in local Grimm activity is rapid. Three more fishing boats were found last week in the nearby coast, totally devastated, with no signs of the crew. _

_The Mayor of Nanko has therefore declared a state of emergency; no boats are to leave the harbor without huntsmen supervision. The local huntsmen have also volunteered to aid in any way possible. _

"I don't like the direction this story takes" Blake said. "Well, we know the outcome already" Yang replied.

_April 8__th__, 74_

_Two more boats were found floating crewless in the middle of the sea. Signs of battle were spread all over them, along with a considerable amount of blood. _

_No boat has managed to reach Monsho Island for the past 14 days, despite the continuous pleas from the locals for help. _

_Heavy storms are also surrounding the area, making airborne help almost impossible. The Mayor has requested official help from the Mistralian Government, hoping for the best. _

_In addition, a strange mental illness seems to have been spreading among the sailors. Common symptoms include lack of proper sleep, exhaustion and an aversion to the sea. Three mutinies have been reported in the span of four days. _

"That… sounds weird." Blake scrolled up and down "there are references about this weird illness all over the place- but the most of them seem to be around these days."

"Do you think they are connected?" Yang opened another page. "With what I have seen so far, I don't exclude any possibility."

_April 19__th__, 74_

_It has been almost a month since when the Grimm infestation of Nanko-Monsho sea begun. The island has been completely cut off from any supply route, as two more supply ships got fiercely attacked, only one boat with a few sailors returning back. _

_The survivors seem to have a severe case of the 'Seamen Disease' as local doctors call it, with horrible dreams and spasms interrupting their sleep, to the point of very strong painkillers being administrated. _

_Their mental health is questionable and the only useful information authorities managed to extract from them is confirmation that a new species of Grimm is responsible for the attacks. _

_The situation seems to grow dire, as the heavy storms continue, hampering even communication. Despite the Mayor's best efforts, the Government has been less than supportive, only claiming to proceed as fast as possible. _

_Fishermen claim to have seen weird green lights in the heavy clouds surrounding Monsho, but their testament is nothing more than a speculation at this point, serving only to further increase public unrest. _

"What the hell- this is straight out of Ruby's horror movies." "I agree" Blake answered. "What troubles me the most, however, is the Council's response. It is way too slow, even by incompetence standards."

Yang looked at her partner, clearly disgruntled. "You don't think they just let them die, do you?" A moment of silence passed between them before she got her answer.

"You saw first-hand Lionheart and how he acted. In addition, it could explain why Cinder was so much fixated on revenge." "Well, you have a point, but…"

The faunus bit her lip "remember what Ruby told us; Cinder begged her to kill Salem before she died. What if- and that's a big if- she merely wanted to take revenge on everyone?"

The honey-colored eyes narrowed a little, acknowledging the merit in her words. "She lost her mother and then got isolated with storms, green lights in the sky, Grimm and a weird illness around her. I can't imagine what that does to someone."

_May 4__th__, 74_

_We stand in horror before one of the greatest tragedies of our time. Yesterday, the Mistralian Government forces announced the total annihilation of Monsho Island and its rename to Grimmwater. _

_According to official huntsmen, the level of Grimm infestation is high enough to consider the entire area a 0-type disaster zone. However, public opinion holds the Council and its lack of proper response guilty as well. _

_Investigation will be held to determine the causes behind this tragedy and the actions that must be taken in order to prevent such a catastrophe in the future. _

_Our hearts are with the poor souls of the four hundred and sixty two residents of the island; may they rest in peace. Memorial Service will be held today afternoon at the Nanko Port. _

"As expected" the blonde took her eyes away from the screen "not that it makes the situation less sad." The brunette was still looking at the screen in confusion and anger.

"The only newspaper mentioning it is the local one. And I didn't manage to find anything in the news as well- I can't even imagine what the Council did to undermine its importance."

"Let's not go there- I am sad and angry enough already." A quick nod was her only reply "let's check a few more pages for extra info before we leave- we don't want to let our teammates waiting, after all."


	21. Heavy Conscience

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I have nothing more to say, so her is Chapter 21, I hope you all enjoy it!**

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"_It was the September of 74, four months after the Grimmwater tragedy" the man began his tale, as he put his empty soup bowl away. _

"_My team of seven people was the last of the Government forces stationed in the area, tasked with patrolling and protecting the port of Nanko- we were pretty busy as you can take it. _

_We received our orders one usual morning in typical military fashion; go to Grimmwater, investigate the situation and bring back enough of you alive to share your findings" he scowled, taking a sip of wine. _

"_Want some?" both girls shook their heads and the man grinned "good choice- now where was I- oh yes. The trip was uneventful and the few aquatic Grimm that tried to prey on us were easily dealt with." _

_He licked the lip of his bottle "one day had passed when we started to brave the thick fog that seemed as if it spread from the island- or at least that's what it looked like- we hadn't managed to get even one minute of proper sleep." _

"_How come?" Weiss asked. "Nightmares. We had vivid, monstrous dreams of drowning and being dragged to the murky depths." _

_He narrowed his eyes as she shot him a questioning glare "and before you say anything, we were not influenced by the sailors' stories. We were all veterans who had in their belts hundreds of Grimm kills." _

"_Please go on" Ruby interjected, earning a grumpy affirmation from the man._

"_The fog was so thick our navigator could barely direct us to the island. To make matters worse, as we entered the cloud all small aquatic Grimm attacks stopped- as if they were afraid to step inside." _

_**December 14**__**th**__**, 85**_

"Stop right there" Blake's voice cut off Ruby's retelling of the old huntsman's story.

The silver eyed girl looked at her teammate, standing at _Poseidon's _wheel, slowly steering the old boat towards the thick fog cloud that still surrounded Grimmwater Island.

"I know what you are going to say- it sounds exactly like Yugure." "Yes. And considering what the reason behind Yugure was, this is more than alarming."

Team RWBY, now dressed in their normal combat outfits, exchanged looks of acknowledgment. Their leader was seated next to Blake in the helm, while a few meters away Yang and Weiss were patrolling the ship for any possible ambush.

Slowly and carefully, she picked out the new addition for Crescent Rose, gently checking the firing mechanism. "Sorry for cutting you off, Ruby. Please, continue."

"_For some unknown reason, we managed to pass through the cloud without any problems, save for landing a little far from the island port. _

_We anchored the ship and split into two parties; mine was going to investigate where the other led by our captain would stay back and guard our means of escape._

_We walked through a narrow road, but immediately realized a few problems. You see, ladies, the area surrounding us was __**wrong**__. And by wrong, I mean very wrong." _

"_Excuse me, but what is that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked again. "The ground was muddy and murky, as if I was stepping on a swamp and didn't change no matter how far from the coast we walked. _

_There was no animal life and the plants around us looked… moldy." "Moldy? As if 'having contacted mold', moldy?" _

"_Yes" he whispered. "They were dripping wet, leaves and vines and trunks filled with colorful fungi. A truly disgusting sight- but far from the worst._

_We ignored them and started moving towards the closest establishment we were informed of. And then everything went to bloody hell." _

"_You were attacked" Ruby noticed grimly. "No. We were slaughtered." _

_He paused, sniffing, and took a large swig of alcohol. Weiss gave him a handkerchief and the man wiped his eyes "thank you, Miss." _

"_I am sorry, but at this point I have to ask again. What-" "I don't know." Ruby's eyes opened wide "you don't know?" _

"_It was as if the mist around us suddenly grew claws and fangs. Both my teammates got killed on spot, torn apart before my very eyes." _

_At this point the man's breath had become ragged, his eyes for the first time betraying a well-hidden terror._

"_I ran; ran towards the ship, away from whatever monster managed to kill two veteran huntsmen without breaking a sweat. I tried to contact the ship, but there was no response." _

_He cupped his mouth and nose, shivering. Ruby gently moved behind his and rubbed the poor man's back to ease his trembling. _

"_When I reached it, I realized why. All four members that had left behind- my entire team- had been killed. Silently. Effectively. _

_They didn't even get a chance to grab their weapons- the only thing remaining of them was large bloodstains pointing towards the water. _

_I panicked- and did the single worst thing possible." _

Yang shouted "he jumped in, didn't he?" "How did you know?" Weiss asked back. "I would have done the same thing for any of you" the blonde replied, giving a quick peck on the pale girl's lips.

"_I don't even remember how much time I spent looking for them before I realized there was nothing more I could do. Filled in sorrow and grief, I rose to the surface. _

_It was at this time when something grabbed my leg. I struggled and tried to use Proteus to kill the creature, but… I found nothing. And before you say anything, I am a turtle faunus- my aquatic vision is almost perfect. _

_Whatever that thing was, it was completely invisible in water- and was dragging me down with it. So I did the only thing I could think of." _

"He cut his own leg" the faunus finished the story. "Yes" Weiss replied. "He doesn't remember much more; he climbed up to the boat and left this place. You can guess the rest."

"What a sad story" Yang exclaimed, still trying to detect any movement around their ship. "What about his nightmares?"

"He still has them; he said this is what drove him away from getting a prosthetic and trying again. Doctors found nothing, as with all the other victims, and the only thing that helps him rest is alcohol."

"What a shitty way of living" Yang spat as she walked next to her sister. "Which reminds me Rubes, you are the only one who didn't sleep at all. Why don't you go lay down for a while? I will keep Blake some company."

"I don't feel like sleeping…" she trailed off. "Then at least let your body rest. Just for a while- we have a good two hours until we enter the fog bank."

"I… guess I need to be in proper condition." She stood up, folded away her equipment and started walking down, passing by her partner. "Weissy-" "I will wake you in an hour, got it."

Smiling, Ruby entered the cabin and closed the door behind her. Weiss shot quick thumbs up to Yang and returned to the bow.

-o—

More than an hour had passed; a boring, uneventful hour, filled with tension. All three members of RWBY were on full alert, as the small boat closed on the looming mist.

The thick fog surrounded the area, an impenetrable wall in the cloudy ocean, hiding the entire island from view. Yang turned around to her partner who tirelessly maneuvered the ship.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest too, Blakey? I can take the helm for an hour until the real deal starts." A black eyebrow rose "can you now?"

"Heh; don't get cocky with me just because you got four sailing lessons from Mr. Ghira, kitty." Blake smirked "first of all, they were six in total. But, even if they were four, they are still more than your half of one."

Yang shrugged her shoulders "just saying." She removed her hat, allowing the gust to tussle her mane. The air, however, was not Patch's pleasant breeze; it was stale and smelled like an abandoned well.

"This place feels so wrong" she said in disgust. "It smells wrong too…" her partner added. "I wonder why we are here in the first place." "What do you mean?" the faunus asked.

"I mean, I know we are here to save Vomit Boy, but why _here_ of all places? This is where Alizar is supposed to have lost everything. Why bring us in for a showdown- especially if there are so many dangers around?"

"Maybe it holds some special meaning to him; like casting away his old self or something, or closing the circle of his suffering where it began."

"Ruby believes that too" Weiss, now standing just below them, added. "But we concluded there is another reason that made him choose this place as well" she stated.

"Does it have to do with how much you have been looking out for Grimm since we left the port?" Yang playfully addressed her. "Yes. For a type-0 area, the amount of Grimm we encountered is dreadfully low, like Mr. Greene said.

"The newspapers referred to that as well; after the destruction of Monsho, the amount of Grimm in these waters dropped significantly" Blake added to her teammate's claim.

"And that is weird. Grimm do not flee an area, unless hunted down. And as Ruby told you before, the only time we have ever seen like this was because of the Eldergrimm."

Yang's playful face dropped "do you think there's a connection here, sweetie?" Weiss shot another look towards the sea, before replying.

"I don't have evidence…but there are many things to consider. The lack of Grimm indicates something akin to Yugure's situation."

She let her face get marred by disgust. "We know that humans were involved in this… and Alizar appeared just after the incident, do you get what I am trying to say?"

"You believe Alizar and the lunatic who unleashed the Eldergrimm in Yugure are working together" the brunette coldly concluded.

"We know he has at least one companion- what would prevent him from having more?" the ex-heiress summarized her train of thought.

"Well, you are right. But there is nothing we can do more than the usual 'find and beat down' tactic. Unless your pretty head has a plan" Yang replied nonchalantly.

"I don't; like back then, we simply lack information. And I hate acting on hypotheses."

"All right, that's enough" Blake announced. "Don't waste energy on bad thoughts right now- save them after we reach the place and have a better idea, ok?"

Weiss blinked then nodded in approval "I guess you are right. I am going to wake Ruby up; she will be whining if let her oversleep" she announced before opening the cabin door.

-o—

Ruby opened her eyes to a strange sound. She groaned, rubbing them as she tried to stand up from her rest, if she could call this uneasy, worried sleep a proper rest.

The wooden cabin around her was dark- strange. Even in such a cloudy day, she should have a better vision. _Did we enter the fog bank already? Weiss is so gonna hear it!_

She stepped out of her bed, trying to get her boots on- and the sound of splashing water filled her ears. Immediately, a wet, cold sensation spread all over her socks.

Ruby looked down; sea water was pouring into the cabin, having covered the floor up to her ankles! She looked up- the ceiling was dripping black drops on her. _What? How did this happen?_

She tried to shout, call Weiss or Yang to help her find the hole, but she stopped immediately. Her still waking brain sensed something; correction, _someone_, inside the cabin.

Ruby snapped around, her hand reaching out for her scythe- and then her fingers froze.

A woman was standing right next to her. She had black wavy hair, with sultry amber eyes and red luscious lips slightly parting in a haughty, self-satisfied smirk.

Her gorgeous body had enough curves to stir many lustrous desires in the hearts of men as she swayed towards the young girl. Long shaped legs moved inside the dark moor, while black droplets ran all over her fiery red dress.

It was an alluring image- and one that disgusted Ruby like nothing. "What…are you doing here? You should be- no, you _are _dead!" She didn't reply- didn't even acknowledge the words.

The reaper tried to grab her weapon, but her body had totally frozen. She tried to run, but her legs refused, letting her stand as the rising water covered her thighs.

Cinder stood over her, eyes gleaming like wicked dead suns in the middle of the cabin. Ruby felt her voice die in her throat as a perfectly-manicured hand covered her mouth.

She felt her skin all over her lips- it reminded her of ash, blood and freshly dug earth. The woman lowered her head and locked her gaze on Ruby.

The euphoric, enticing scent of spice that accompanied Cinder in her life made Ruby's stomach churn. It reminded her of Uncle Qrow's funeral and cemetery oils.

And then, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. "…!" Unable to speak, she felt warm, hot blood running down her stomach, meeting the cold sea water that had covered her belly.

Cinder withdrew her glaive, making Ruby spit blood at her killer's hand. A red, shining trail ran down the elegant fingers as a cold voice filled the brunette's ears, sounding like it came from beyond the grave itself.

"Say hello to your boyfriend for me." Ruby gasped, drowning in blood, as Cinder threw her inside the dark ocean, smiling as her image slowly faded to black.

Panic overcame her. She was filled with the horrifying image of darkness assaulting her very senses. Trying her best to concentrate, Ruby activated her semblance-

"OUCH!" and slammed into something soft; soft and complaining. Her body rolled onto a hard surface, falling on her back.

"What the dust Ru-" she recognized the voice; it belonged to Weiss. Ruby sat on her butt and stared around, her eyes quickly adjusting to the dim daylight.

She was sitting on the deck of their totally-not-sinking ship. Weiss was lying down next to her, probably knocked by yours truly. Blake was on the helm, with Yang next to her.

And all three of them were staring at Ruby in confusion. Confusion and worry. "Rubes!" Yang climbed down the ladder as fast as she could "are you ok?"

She didn't reply. She didn't know what to say. Ruby hid her face in her palms, her brain rapidly taking in the information_. What a horrible dream!_ She thought. _So vivid… it felt as if I was really drowning!_

Weiss and Yang gently helped her up, under the vigilant and worried gaze of Blake. "Rubes… are you-" "Fine? Yes, I am. It was just a bad dream, nothing more, ok?"

The monochrome pair shared a quick glance of disbelief. Yang, on the other hand, looked down at her sister who was still covering her eyes with her palms.

"You got up screaming and slammed Weiss on the floor while looking pale as if you saw a ghost, Rubes. Don't play smart with me. You are obviously not fine."

She felt her muscles tense. "It's not a big deal, Yang." Lilac eyes narrowed "These last days you haven't been yourself Rubes. I know why, trust me, we all do. But you can't help Jaune like this, little sis! You have to calm-"

"I am calm! This is me being calm!" the flat and horrifyingly cold tone of the voice that belonged to the cheerful and bubbly girl sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Silver eyes stared at Yang through Ruby's fingers "If I let myself be upset even for a second, I will break! I will lose control and sent everything to the trash can! So, Sis, don't tell me to be calm. Cause this is the calmest you will get right now!"

Everyone gulped at the lingering power behind Ruby's words. Weiss cleared her throat- and then the ship shook violently, as a huge object slammed its right side.

"Wha-" Blake held the wheel with all her might, trying to keep the ship on route, as a couple more slams made her nearly lose control.

She focused her faunus eyes on the right of the ship- and cursed under her breath. Four large black Grimm sharks were circling them, taking turns in slamming the boat with their massive bodies.

Their long black forms were partially submerged and covered in vertical bone-white shards that formed an exoskeleton-like appendage. Similar white sharp teeth filled their mouths and red sinister eyes shone just below the waterline.

Another one slammed them, making Yang curse. "We have Galeodons! Four of them!" The yellow-eyed girl shouted. "An ambush" Ruby stood up, grabbing her scythe "and it's probably my fault" she whispered.

"Don't be like that, Rubes. Please" Yang cocked her bracers as Weiss drew her swords. Their leader simply walked to the right part of the ship, before she mechanically replied "yeah. Let's kill them."


	22. Dangerous Waters

**Hello again! Chapter 22 is here. As always I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again for taking time to follow, favor or even read the story, I know I am repeating myself, but I really am grateful. **

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Blake held the wheel with all her might, as another violent impact made the entire ship shake. She slowly turned it to the right, hoping her meager experience wouldn't backfire at this point.

"Ruby!" she called her team leader. "I can't steer like this; their attacks are too powerful!"

It would take a few more hits for the Galeodons to throw them completely off course and, if Prof. Port's lessons were accurate enough, send them crashing on some reef.

The redhead cursed under her own breath as one of the monsters dived under their line of fire and slammed the ship's hull. Weiss held onto Yang, the blonde's arms strongly supporting her.

Their attacks were not enough; Galeodons had skin hard enough to rival Boarbatusk armor and the additional cover the sea provided them made this situation a lot trickier.

_Think, you worthless excuse of a team leader, think!_ Another one dove outside, but this time Yang was waiting for it. Ember Celica blasted the beast back to the ocean, albeit less damaged than its owner would like to.

"Ruby!" her partner shouted next to her, sending a dozen cold blasts to the surface, forcing back another two. Ruby shot at the last one, saving them from another hit.

_We can't hit them like this, and Blake is not strong enough to hold us on route. If that's how it is, then…_

"Yang!" she shot another couple of bolts. "Yes, Rubes?" "Go help Blake stir the ship; you are the strongest of us- you are the only one who has a shot at stabilizing the wheel."

"What about-" "We will take care of them. Weiss, get the Queen ready." The couple exchanged a confused look, but quickly nodded.

Weiss flipped Myrtenaster and a large glyph appeared on air, the image of a pristine white Lancer Queen bursting through the shimmering light.

Meanwhile, Yang rushed to Blake. "What are you doing?" the cat faunus asked. "Leave the wheel to me; Rubes wants you to guide me on how to keep it steady."

Blake shot a worried look at the Lancer Queen that took off with the whiterose pair on top. And then she looked at the fog bank, steadily approaching them.

"I hope she knows what she is doing" another hit rocked the ship, Yang's muscles tensing as she managed to hold it still. "So do I Blakey."

"This plan is insane!" Weiss shouted as the Queen performed a full circle before diving towards the Grimm. "I know" Ruby replied "this is why I trust you to help me pull it off!"

"You insane, reckless idiot!" the pale girl accelerated and the Lancer sent out its stinger, grabbing one of the Galeodons as it approached the ship.

The monster flailed around violently, its massive bulk pulling them downwards. And then, a red burst of petals appeared on its back.

Using her boots and glove-covered hands to avoid the razor-sharp skin of the shark-grimm, she shot immediately into its open mouth.

The recoil threw her back and she burst once more upwards, allowing Weiss to grab her as the monster dissolved into thin air.

"Three to go!" she emotionlessly shouted. "Are you ok?" her partner asked in worry. "Yes, just get us closer and keep fishing them out!"

-o-

Yang suppressed a cry of joy as the third Galeodon fell to Ruby's reckless stunt. "I was worried but she seems to- ack!" she gasped as the last beast slammed them once more.

"Stay focused! Five to the right!" Blake screamed, trying to make the best of her faunus vision. The ship had just started enter the dense fog and even her superior senses could slightly help her navigate.

"This fog is abnormally thick… we are reaching the island." Yang turned the wheel five to the right, carefully following Blake's instructions.

"Isn't that a good thing? Galeodons do not hunt at shallow waters." The faunus didn't turn to look at her partner, focusing her best on the surroundings.

She instead replied "waters around such places are filled with reefs. Maneuvering the ship in such poor visibility is suicidal even for experienced sailors. And we don't know how much off- route the Galeodons threw us."

The sound of Crescent Rose being fired informed them that the last shark had been dealt with. "Weissy! Are you both ok? We are here!" Yang shouted.

"We are fine! Coming back to you!" her lover's voice replied, followed by the buzzing of the Lancer Queen.

"Phew…that went well- better than I expected." Blake didn't comment; she just kept scanning the area. Small reefs and shallows passed by them, the ship being in a comfortable-

Blake's senses tingled. Her eyes, trained and honed in addition to her faunus vision, spot something in the thick fog. A large rock, as tall as the ship stood in the middle of the sea, casting a dark shadow in the mist.

And it was in direct collision route to them. "Full right turn! NOW!" Yang's eyes opened wide and she obeyed the command even before she managed to see the enemy object blocking their path.

Ruby and Weiss reached the ship just in time to see _Poseidon_ make a desperate turn, its hull scratching the enormous rock with a sickening sound that made their hair stand on edge.

Time seemed to stop, for the few seconds that passed before they realized the ship had managed to avoid being breached. Ruby let a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Weiss, however, held it even harder. Her eyes picked a small shine in the base of the rock, right where the ship had scratched it.

"No…" the energy burst suddenly rose from beneath the reef, filling her heart with dread. "YAAANG!" the ex-heiress' shout echoed into the fog one second before the giant explosion that engulfed them.

-o—

Dressed in a scarlet-colored blouse with a black dragon tribal and a long grey pair of pants, Alizar walked down the corridor of the abandoned mansion.

House Red was silent and eerie, its once lively and filled in action halls now stood empty. Empty to anyone but him, of course.

To him, the images of the bloody battle that had cost the lives of his family and the entire island were deeply engraved on each stone and wood.

"_Father, what are they doing here? Why are they-" "I can't answer now, Elia. Get your brothers out of this place. Go to the beach and hide until I can find a way to get us out of here." _

"_Out? Are we leaving our home, father?" "I will explain later, my Little Flame. Please do as I say for now."_ He still remembered the determined look on his beloved sister's face _"yes, father."_

The kind older sister grabbed both her brothers' arms. Her warmth still lingered on his fingers. _"Follow me. Let's go from the secret passage in the library."_

He stopped and brushed the haze away from the window, viewing the dark, foggy wasteland the once peaceful meadows had become. For a second, he could see the red fires consuming the crops and burning down the servants' dormitory.

He was happy his mind hadn't managed to register the screams of people being burnt alive back then.

Alizar turned right at the end of the corridor. Green light emanated from the half-open library door. His eyes fell upon a splintered wooden chair across it.

Wasn't that where they had met Old Jonas the caretaker for the last time; filled in blood, his arms trebling while he tried to hold his musket?

"_Jonas!" "M-Mistress Elia! Please get into the library!"_ He could hear his brother's screaming reply. _"Come with us, Jonas. We-"_ the man stopped him and patted him on the head.

"_Mr. Red asked everyone to help you get out." _The sound of gunfire and screams echoed from below, making Alizar squeeze his sister's hand. She smiled at him, her smile the most beautiful thing the boy had seen in his life.

"_And these old bones would rather rot in hell than disappoint your father- and you, young master." _Elia quickly hugged him and her brothers followed.

"_I love all three of you."_ Amber eyes looked at the elderly man in sorrow. _"We love you too."_ And then, she turned and stepped into the library, her brothers after her.

Alizar opened the door, allowing the fluorescent light to fall upon him. He stepped in, leaving all memories burn away as he stared at the other occupants of the room.

Jaune Arc's body was lying on a large stone table, his half-naked form covered in obsidian talismans. Elaborate carved runes connected all of them, green energy circulating the comatose boy's aura and preserving his life force.

Next to him, Cherry was seated on an ancient-looking couch. Her weapon and mask were on a bench next to her, along with a large stack of books and a small lamp.

She was tugged in her flower-patterned kimono, her eyes never leaving the tome she held in her arms. A large silver periapt depicting the head of a Leviathan hung from her neck, framed by cherry-colored tresses.

Cherry colored skin protruded out of the silky fabric, her shapely legs and elegant arms reminding of the shrine maiden's pure, unmarred blood as she read her book in deep concentration.

"I never took you for the scholar type" he exclaimed. "It doesn't take a scholar to appreciate books" she replied. "Not that I expect someone like you to understand that."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman. "Exactly what it sounds like."

Alizar didn't reply. Instead, he kept glaring at her intensely, anger visible in his amber eyes. "You are not going to let me read in peace, are you?"

"When you insinuate things, you should see your claim to the end." She raised her head and her green eyes betrayed her lack of amusement. "Fair enough" she finally conceded, slamming the book shut.

"You are a revenge-obsessed freak with no moral code, no honor and no devotion to any higher cause than see the world burn. If you spent a little more time reading the books this excellent library has than waiting for team RWBY to arrive, maybe you would be a little less waste of this world's oxygen."

Alizar's mouth opened in a grimace of disgust "can't those pretty lips of yours do anything else than insult anyone nearby?"

She solemnly closed her eyes "my lips only speak what is in my mind- it is your fault for being such a worthless human being."

He exhaled deeply, trying to control his anger; picking up a fight with this monster was very low in his priority list in any case. "I remember you talking very respectfully to Rose on the phone back then."

Cherry's expression didn't change "Ms. Ruby Rose is a warrior who faced overwhelming enemies and overcame them staying true to her honor and pride. She deserves my respect and I will give it to her at any chance."

"She is the enemy!" "Irrelevant." The boy's disgusted expression grew "what do you mean by that?" The fox faunus opened her eyes and stared at him in disapproval.

"It means that I don't care why someone holds his weapon, I care how he does so. If they are an honorable warrior, I will take them on with respect. It's the same reason I am disgusted with you, even though we work together."

He groaned. That blunt way of hers expressing her emotions was so infuriating sometimes. "Is this about him?" he pointed at Jaune's form.

"Your plan of abducting a huntsman who gave all his power supporting his cause and lost his mind fighting with pride at the frontlines is insulting to everything I stand for" she whispered, lowering her gaze.

"Are you even serious?" he asked in dismissal. Her pupils dilated, her face donned a feral expression "as much as I can be. Your plan was disgusting and horrible and you should be ashamed of coming up with it."

"I didn't see you complain when you took him, or when chopped down these men at the exit. Aren't you being a hypocrite, considering that it is because of you that I managed to pull it off?"

Elegant, rosy fingers grabbed her periapt. "Unfortunately, my duty to serve my Gods precedes my honor. As the leader of this mission, you call the shots and I make them. My personal preferences are irrelevant, if it means serving Them."

Her face calmed down, and Alizar dropped his gaze as well. "Honestly, I can't understand whether you are wise or freaking nuts. You are a walking contradiction, Cherry."

"If your opinion becomes important enough for me at some point, I will not hesitate to ask for it; don't worry" she stood up, put on her shoes and grabbed her Naginata.

"Are you going out?" he asked. "Yes. I want to check if my Grimm-repelling wards are still in good shape. Take care of him" she pointed towards Jaune "if you do anything stupid, I will carve you to pieces."

She then walked out, the sound of her boots echoing in the stone-paved floor. Alizar sat on the couch, a dust cloud rising in the air as he made himself comfortable.

"Threatened by my teammate…perfect." He looked at the pile of books, noticing the one Cherry had bookmarked.

'_**Born of the Sea; a collection of sailors' tales and mysteries' **_

He grabbed the book and started reading, when the sound of an explosion broke the foggy silence. He smiled and stood up, slamming in shut and letting it drop on the desk.

Cherry's footsteps echoed once more in the corridor as she ran towards him, slamming the door open "do you have any idea what was that?"

His smile deepened, a vicious expression spreading all over his face "someone activated my dust explosive traps; seems team RWBY lives up to its reputation, after all."

"I hope you anticipated them coming earlier" the fox-girl harshly exclaimed. "Of course I did- I was hoping they would. Let's start preparing the altar; we will deal with them when the time is due."

The girl nodded "if they survive the hell Grimmwater has in store for them, that is" she said, before putting on her mask, allowing the sickening green to light its horrible visage.

* * *

**P.S. So, we have reached Grimmwater. The arc is a little ambitious on my part about how to present all information and give a well-rounded view of the characters and the situation, so if anything comes out as confusing, needless or hazy, feel free to tell me. Thank you all in advance. **


	23. Of Shipwrecks and Freezerburns

**Hello everyone, how are you doing? Not many things to say this week, chapter 23 is here. Hope you enjoy it! No matter what, thanks again for taking your time to read it! **

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The grey sand was wet and sticky under her boots. She had no idea what time it was, but the miasmatic cloud that surrounded the beach made it look like late afternoon nonetheless.

_Bang! Bang!_

She tugged herself in her coat and tried to take a better look of her surroundings. Even with her superior vision, however, she could only see dark water, and endless grey sand surrounded in fog.

_Bang! Bang! Slash! Bang! _

Blake kept on moving; she had managed to lose her weapons and backpack- a truly disastrous outcome. The only thing she could do right now is move forward, hoping she would find her team sooner or later.

_Bang! SLASH! SLASH! Bang! _

_What the heck is that weird sound?_ She stopped and looked around once more. There was nothing except for- wait a minute, were these red dots in the mist always there?

_Bang! Slash!_

She moved backwards, feeling the adrenaline in her blood rise. The mist didn't follow; good. The last thing she now wanted was-

A powerful blow stuck her feet, throwing her on the ground. Blake activated her semblance- but to no avail. Strong arms grabbed her and pinned her helpless body on the grey sand.

_BANG! BANG! BANG! _

She gasped, seeing that she was slowly sinking into the mud. She tugged her head, slowly taking a view of her assailant. She saw a human form, with muscled arms and… _a yellow monkey tail?_

_Bang!_

_WHAT WAS WITH THAT ACCURSED SOUND?_ Blake panicked. Her body started convulsing, her mouth opening wide as Sun pressed her face into the mud.

She tasted dirt and filth, but this mattered not in face of the feeling of her mind going into hyper drive. Something wet slapped her back- it would be disgusting if she was not so horrified.

_Bang! BANG! __**BANG!**_

Dark water started running down her spine, as Sun pressed her even harder. She felt her midriff slowly break under the pressure, but she was sure her heart would stop before-

_**BANG! SLASH! BANG!**_

Blake opened her eyes and her first instinct was to turn around and vomit. She gushed down as much filth as her belly could hold, carefully spitting away all remains.

_**BANG! SLASH! BANG!**_

She raised her head. She was on the beach, the same dark fog and grey sand spreading everywhere. The remains of their ship were washed away on the shore around her.

She seemed to be lying on some sort of hastily made bedroll, next to her weapons- thank Dust. She had bandages at her arms and legs, her sweat-drenched body having turned them wet already.

_**BANG! BANG!**_

She stood up and looked at the source of the sound- Ruby was standing a few meters away from her, fending off some Creeps that were crawling to the shipwreck.

Blake grabbed Nightfall. Ruby would have no problem killing hordes of these things, but there was no reason for her not to help her friend.

_**BANG! BANG! SWOOSH! BANG! SLASH!**_

Apparently, of course, there was so little left for her to do. She only managed to take a couple down before Ruby killed the last and turned to face her.

"Are you ok?" she could see the worry and kindness in Ruby's words, but this didn't keep her from realizing how flat and emotionless her voice was.

"I am fine, thanks. What about you?" she asked back. "Creeps are no threat if you take them seriously" the nonchalant reply came.

"I see… sounds about right. So" she tried to change the subject "what happened here? I mean, it is obvious we are on Grimmwater, but what else do we know aside from that?"

Ruby twisted her lips in a thoughtful expression "I don't know much. After the explosion, I woke up in the beach. I walked for a while, spotted the shipwreck and decided to come and check."

"I see…" she showed her bandages "did you do this?" "Yes. I found you knocked out in the middle of the wreckage and did whatever I could to treat your burns. I also salvaged your weapons, but wasn't able to find your backpack."

The flat and mechanical way Ruby explained these was so out of place, it scared Blake as much as the possibility the creeps would have found her first. Despite that, though…

"Thanks Ruby" she smiled. "There is no need for that, truly. So, what's the problem?" the faunus raised an eyebrow "problem? What problem?"

"You were twitching and twisting around in your sleep. Plus, you puked when you woke up. That sounds like a horrible nightmare, if anything."

"Does it sound as horrible as waking up and using your semblance to crash into Weiss for example?" she stood firm. She had no problem telling her about this, but there were other things that needed to get straight before that.

"Or blowing up on your sister for getting worried about you?" she pressed on when she saw Ruby was not answering.

"Yes" the cold, flat tone shocked Blake. This… this _thing_ in front of her, she had no idea what it was. For this emotionless empty husk was not Ruby. There was no way this empty, void stare belonged to her reading partner.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she spat the bile that rose again from her stomach and walked in front of the girl. "It means you are right- what I did was horrible" she stated.

"Ruby…please don't do that" Blake's eyes softened. "You don't have to deal with this on your own; you have us. You can always talk to us and you always did. What changed?"

The girl didn't break her stare. She simply let her lips slightly part in order to answer "I can't do that, Blake." The faunus' smile vanished. "What are you saying? What makes you think that?"

"Because you are happy" Blake's breath got caught in her throat. "You are living your lives; happy, fulfilled. You are living, Blake. I… am not."

"What are-" "I am merely existing" Ruby's voice dropped even more. "I tried my best to cover it; played games with you, hunted down Grimm, followed Alex and Albus in some trips.

But in the end… it was all for nothing. When I saw the footage of this girl carrying Jaune away… I broke. I _**broke**_, Blake! I was around you all, and I felt so weak… so lonely!"

"But you are here! You are trying to do things right!" "And for what reason? So that I can get him back to that hospital bed, plug him in the machines and pretend that his life will get better?"

Blake gasped, finally realizing what was going on. She knew what Ruby was thinking. She knew, because it sounded familiar. Dreadfully familiar.

She grabbed the brunette's shoulders, bringing their faces close. "Don't do this, do you hear me? Don't let despair overcome you Ruby! You are the strongest, most valiant person I have ever known! You can do this!"

"I can't…" "You can! Don't go to that place, Ruby! I have been there; it is not where you should be. It is ugly, filled in despair and sorrow! It makes you feel your worst nightmares! It makes you think moving forward is pointless!"

"I can't… move anymore…" "You can! You, Weiss and Yang made me move forward until Sun got out of the hospital! You pulled me out of my misery! I will not let you do the same thing that nearly took me down to yourself!"

Ruby moved her hands to remove Blake's from her shoulders and suddenly stopped after grabbing them. "Blake…you are trembling."

"Huh?" the faunus stopped, her brain finally catching up with the effects of her outburst. Her entire body was shaking, her arms the most, as she could feel her heart in overdrive, trying its best to stop the adrenaline rush that hit her.

"You… are having an episode again... oh my Dust… what am I doing?" the younger girl's voice rose to her normal high pitch, but she didn't process it.

Her attention was drawn to herself. Trying to focus on calming down, Blake closed her eyes and took deep breaths. _Why now of all times, darn it!_

She felt a soothing sensation, as Ruby's fingers gently rubbed her palms. "Follow my voice, Blake… inhale…exhale…"

The interaction went on for a few minutes, before the faunus finally relaxed and opened her eyes. "That was so pathetic" she humorously said "I was supposed to comfort you, not the opposite."

"The pathetic one here is me" Ruby replied. "I have all of you worried so much… I even caused you an episode" the faunus couldn't suppress a smile of her own as she met her leader's eyes and saw the old glint playing along the gunmetal orbs.

They went back and gathered their belongings, Blake seeing that the brunette had her entire equipment and backpack intact.

"Even in the middle of despair, however, you were there to help me with my seizure. You can wallow in self-pity as much as you want, but you can't change who you are, Ruby."

The girl nodded, a little more vividly than before. "I will admit; seeing you having a breakdown because of my stupidity brought me back to my senses a little. Thanks Blake; sorry for acting like a moron."

She moved next to the girl and gently ruffled her hair "I am the last person you need to apologize to for acting stupid. And I am here, for everything you need."

"I may take you up on that" she looked up onto the sky, where lightning had started to crackle "after we find some shelter that is."

-ο—

Yang was genuinely pissed. Her entire body hurt like hell. She was sure the whole explosion thing had given her a few more marks of honor- thankfully not in her face.

She spat on the ground. This seriously sucked. She had lost her equipment, got washed ashore in this grey and foggy beach and was severely hungry.

Worst of all, she had no idea where the others were! Her eyes were in the verge of color shifting every single passing moment. The creeps she dispatched earlier didn't help against that.

The scenery was the same, no matter how much she walked. Grey sand, a few meters of dark sea, huge rocks that she had to climb again and again. And beyond all these, a misty veil hampered her vision.

She cursed under her breath as she climbed down another huge granite shard. _Keep moving by the beach _she kept telling herself. _At some point you will-_

Yang's train of thought was halted as she saw a petite silhouette closing up on her through the wet curtain. Her heart fluttered and her anger dissipated; she could recognize this lithe figure everywhere in the world.

"Weiss!" she shouted as she ran closer, the beautiful features of her girlfriend becoming clearer as she closed the distance between them.

"STOP!" Yang's merry charge got halted by the woman's scream, combined with Myrtenaster pointed at the blonde's direction.

Yang slowed down, visibly confused. She took a better look at her; despite the multitude of burns, she seemed pretty fine. Nothing her aura couldn't work on with some rest. She had even managed to save her backpack.

"Baby? What are you doing?" Weiss didn't even flinch. "Prove me right now that you are Yang" she fiercely said. "Are you serious?" the tall girl rolled her eyes.

"Take one more step without proving me you are the woman I love, and I will show you how serious I am" the reply came fast. _Too_ fast.

Yang shot a quick glance; Weiss eyes were intense, but slightly trembling. Her stance was a bit shaky and she was biting her lower lip. _She must be forcing herself too hard to not give in. Stupid Snowflake._

The blonde sighed and then donned a cocky smile as she raised her arms and started walking again. "What are you doing?" Weiss took one step backwards. "I will seriously hit you!"

Yang just kept walking "If beating me will make you feel better, go on. I can't prove anything to you at this point, so-" The petite girl cut her off by jumping on her.

Taking her by surprise, she grabbed her coat's collar and crashed her lips on Yang's, pushing her with all the might she could muster- a lot more than one would expect.

The surprise lasted for a mere second and soon the tall girl found herself holding Weiss' thin waist as she opened her mouth. The ex-heiress' nails scratched her nape, earning a moan from the blonde as their tongues came into contact.

Weiss sucked Yang's lips one final time, before she pulled away, gasping "I… think… that's enough for now." Yang, still holding the other girl in her arms, nodded licking her lips "yeah… let's not get too carried away."

They gave a tender peck at each other's lips and then Weiss nuzzled her face in her lover's neck. "I am so happy you are fine" she whispered.

"So much for acting touch before" the humorous reply came. "Shut up- I have every right to be suspicious." Yang chuckled "what if I truly was someone else, bluffing at you?"

"Oh come on. Nobody else would make such a terrible pun in this situation." Yang's eyes narrowed down at her "what pun?"

Weiss looked back at the girl. She then shot a glance towards Myrtenaster, before turning back at her girlfriend. Lilac orbs shot open wide, cyan blue following suit.

"It wasn't intended?" a low-tone scream echoed in the shore. "I am getting worried, sweetie." Weiss averted her face "so do I. for different reasons."

"Anyway" the tall girl decided to change the subject towards something a lot more important "we have to get going. Rubes and Blake must be somewhere around here."

Weiss nodded and broke the hug. "I tried using my scroll, but there seems to be no signal. Even though in your case, lack of signal is the least of our problems" she scolded her, giving her a ration bar.

"Have I ever mentioned I love you?" Yang took a huge bite. It was dry, stale and tasted horrible. It was exactly what she needed.

"Lots of times. In lots of places. And in a lot of ways" Weiss winked at her, before tossing her backpack behind her shoulder. "How long have you been walking?"

"Qcuite schome time, whye?" the blonde chewed before gulping down. "I didn't walk at all, which means we have more chances to find them if we go this way" she pointed towards the area behind her.

"Sounds reasonable. Let's go." They both started moving, slowly trailing through the grey sand, trying to not get away from the coast.

Far above the dense cloud covering them, the sound of thunder filled the sky, as if welcoming the huntresses in the cursed island.

And inside the fog, gleaming red eyes watched their hapless prey, moving unseen in their natural habitat. The predators of Grimmwater welcomed their new prey, silently cackling under the cover of the upcoming storm.


	24. Hunt and Get Hunted

**Hello everyone- how are you doing? I wanted to apologize in advance, since next week I will be away for personal matters and therefore I will not be uploading a chapter. The next one will probably be up on October 16th- I will try to make it a double chapter if I manage to. **

**Thanks a lot for keeping up with it; I can't properly express how happy I am for this little story of mine to have you interested in it. **

**As always I hope you enjoy the chapter. Have fun till the next time! **

* * *

"This is seriously bad" Blake complained as both women ran on the grey-colored beach. The heavy rain that had been pouring for a few minutes already had made her drenched- a feeling the cat faunus hated.

In addition to making her soaking wet, it had also turned the already muddy ground into a literal moving swamp; even Ruby was silently groaning as her boots had slipped on the ground more times she would have liked to.

"The bright side is, the fog is gone at least" the brunette exclaimed in a totally non-humorous manner.

Well, in that aspect she was right. Not that what they were now able to see made the faunus feel better, but any sort of information was welcome at this point.

The beach was really vast, expanding for a good amount of meters towards the inside. Large black granite masses, tall enough to be climbed, seemed to be scattered around the coast.

The sea was as dark and threatening as she expected it to be and despite the rain the thick fog curtain still seemed to separate the island from the outside world.

If one would walk away from the ocean, the sand seemed to turn into solid ground that gradually climbed to form a high, black-colored mountain.

She was sure that at some point the slope was covered in some sort of exotic flora, but that wasn't the case right now.

Huge, dead-looking tree barks stood far away where the forest one should have been, like silent black statues, monitoring the perimeter of the island.

Despite the heavy rain, she could still see traces of fog moving up and down the slope, walking through the dead plants' remains. She remembered the old sailor's words and shivered.

She removed the piece of cloth she had put to cover her ears- it was soaked as well. "Ruby, we have to find shelter! It's pointless to go on like this, and I am sure they would think the same thing!"

"I know" the reply came, followed by Ruby pointing towards a large rock that seemed to block their path up ahead. "Let's climb this one and see if there is anything suitable behind it."

Climbing up turned out to be a simple feat and a few minutes later, both girls found themselves staring towards the other side of the obstacle- and they were really satisfied with the result.

The muddy beach continued for about a hundred more meters, but then stopped to give way to a village. A surprisingly large one, all things considered.

Ruby was sure she couldn't count the amount of small houses that were scattered around the area. This place must have been occupied by quite a lot of people in its prime.

A shipyard and a few docks were located in the south of the city, right next to the coast. A long boardwalk stretched all over the coastline, running north up to a point where Blake's excellent vision could see the outline of a tower-like building; possibly a lighthouse.

It could have been a very scenic image if everything wasn't so devastated. The docks and boardwalk were filled in shipwrecks and any sort of barricades were torn apart.

Signs of battle around the area were visible even from where the two of them were standing, and the level of ruin the village seemed to be was too extreme for the small amount of years it had been abandoned.

What drew their attention more than anything else, however, was not inside the village. On the slope, located just a little below the peak, a huge mansion stood, as if holding the island under total surveillance.

"That must be Red Manor" Blake said. "It would be a good place to start from." Ruby nodded "yes. But not now."

The faunus turned her dripping face at her leader. "I thought you wanted to-" "We are both in bad shape and it is at least one day away on foot. Besides, we should try regroup with Yang and Weiss before we go on the offensive."

The faunus shot Ruby an appreciating smile "well said." "Thanks" the silver-eyed girl tugged her heavily soaked cape "let's get down and try to find a dry place in that shipyard- it's far closer than anything else."

They climbed down as easily as they got up and then made haste towards the mentioned building- a large rectangle made of stone next to the docks.

An iron fence, battered and broken in many places, welcomed them in the establishment. Ruby stepped in, and quickly walked through the front yard, avoiding the murky, wet wreckage of abandoned boats and moldy barrels.

She had nearly reached the front door when her silver eyes fell upon something. A pile of scattered white objects of various sizes…

She heard Blake stifle a gasp the moment she realized that in front of them was a pile of bones. There were too few to belong to more than one human, but this mess couldn't be even called a skeleton any more.

The faunus stood right behind her, taking in the scene. A battered skull, broken and chewed arms and legs, torn apart ribs…she pointed to her companion a severed skeletal hand hanging from the door handle.

"There is no wondering what happened to this poor fellow- he got eaten alive while reaching for the door" the red-caped girl gulped, reflexively drawing her weapon.

Blake mimicked her, taking Nightfall out. "I didn't see any other one around here, however. Maybe he was the only one?"

Instead of replying, Ruby attached her flashlight to her rifle and checked the door- it was open. "I hope so, but I don't expect it" she let the light fall into the vast interior "like Weiss says, I hate it when I am right."

Blake's eyes narrowed in sadness. The inside of the shipyard was vast, filled in junk and rubble. A large part of the ceiling had been destroyed, allowing the rain to pour into the building, falling on top of an old, moldy barrel pile.

Spread all over the place, were the remains of at least one dozen fungus-covered skeletons, in different states and stances, the few white spots glistening under Ruby's light.

"This is not a good place to be" Blake said "we should go, maybe find some remote place in the village- we are very vulnerable standing in this wreckage."

As the little reaper next to her nodded, a small shifting in the shadows of the walls behind the barrels was reflected in the faunus' eyes.

"Something is here" she said, without raising her voice. "Where?" Ruby replied in the same monotonous manner. "Behind the barrels, in the other side of the room, below the caved ceiling."

The crimson-tipped girl slowly moved sideways, allowing her and Blake's formation to open, her light focused on the mentioned area.

The shadows shifted again and this time, Ruby saw it too. A slow, moving sound, followed by a low-toned hissing. Blake drew Envelop with her left hand and aimed at whatever was behind the pile.

Another hiss was heard, followed by a smashing sound and the barrels fell. The pile collapsed, allowing the creature to come into plain sight.

"What in the name of Remnant _is this_?" Blake heard her friend whisper. As her own mind processed the thing standing in front of them, highlighted by the flashlight, rain running all over its body, she was forced to agree.

What in the name of Remnant was_** that?**_

-ο-

"I was pretty sure the lighthouse seemed closer than that" Weiss groaned under her umbrella, happy for the umpteenth time she had chosen to take her boots instead of lighter footwear for this mission.

"Looks can be deceiving" Yang was walking next to her, holding the blue umbrella above their heads. A curtain of rain poured down to the earth around them as they struggled to reach the abandoned building.

"But man" she continued "who would have thought Rubes' crazy idea of dressing you up like Neo would actually come in handy."

"It is truly amazing; there are times that I believe this dolt has some sort of premonition or sixth sense" Weiss replied humorously.

Yang looked around at the wet terrain, as they left the muddy sand and climbed the solid rock where their destination had been.

"You are worried about them, aren't you?" the ex-heiress asked. "You mean you are not? They may have been hurt or worse."

"Remember that one year in Vacuo? When we got separated and had to fight in different fronts?" she asked back.

"Yeah. Every single night I would call all of you to ask if you were all right. I even disrupted Ruby and Jaune's first date while at it."

Weiss rolled her eyes "back then Ruby had told us only one thing; believe in our team. Believe that we will make it and see each other again."

She bit the inside of her cheek, as Yang stopped and stared down at her. A few drops ran down the petite girl's forehead, making her walk back under the cover.

"I chose to do so; believe in Ruby, Blake- _you_" she continued "and I intend to keep on doing so, no matter how tough it is. That's why I hope, no, I _know_ that Blake and Ruby are fine right now and possibly looking for a shelter- which is exactly what we should be doing!"

Yang smiled tenderly- that last prissy outburst was so Weiss-like, it took all her doubts away. "You are right- that was stupid of me." Weiss looked away, blushing "as long as you get it, its fine."

They continued walking until they reached the lighthouse. Easily the tallest building in the area, it rose more than 30 meters from the ground, even without counting the rock upon which it was built.

It was a simple cylindrical tower, with a glass-covered light room on its top, covered by a cone-shaped roof. A small set of stairs on the ground lead to the tower's entrance.

Next to it was a pile of stones and wreckage that at some point should have been the keeper's quarters. Yang clicked her tongue as she closed the umbrella "no luck here."

"Let's get inside then- at least it will be drier. I hope" Weiss replied before they both walked up the stairs and entered the broken, mold-covered door.

The inside was far from warm and far from dry- water dripped all over the tower, forming pools on the rotten floor. An iron ladder twisted all around the wall, leading upwards to the supply room.

Other than that, however, the place was empty. "Should we go upstairs? Maybe we can find anything to put over our heads. Grab some sleep for an hour or something" Yang said.

Weiss looked at her, eyes narrowed. "I can see your breath." Yang rubbed her shoulder "now that you mention it, it _is_ kinda cold in here."

"Let's go up. If the supplies were properly sealed, there might be something we could use as fuel. I will gladly sacrifice some fire dust for us to get warm."

"Come to think of it" Yang asked while they were climbing the stairs "how did your provisions and dust survive the explosion and sea water?"

Weiss smirked, sending a haughty side glance at her lover. Without turning, she drew out of her bag a small metal box. "Atlesian Special Forces provision kits. Durable enough to survive a Goliath rampage."

"That's really cool. Why don't I have this?" Cyan eyes narrowed; something Yang knew even without Weiss turning around.

"Because when Ruby and I splurged for supplies, Blake got the cheap ones in order to buy a couple novels and you wanted new tires for Bumblebee, that's why."

"Ooooh… right. It was that day." Weiss reached the end of the staircase "yes it was that day. Now…" she looked around the storage room.

A small ladder seemed to be connecting this place with the light room above them. A few sealed barrels were stacked on the wall behind it, along with some broken lamps and rotten sacks of food.

The entire room seemed to be in good shape, save for the immense amount of water running down from the ceiling, drenching the floor.

"I am going up to see if the leak can be plugged" Weiss said. "I will check if there is anything in the barrels to use" Yang replied. They both stopped and looked at each other.

"Your breath has become a literal cloud at this point, baby." Weiss looked at her, rubbing her arms "so has yours, sweetie."

Yang narrowed her eyes "I am not the one going out." "It will only be for a minute- if I can't seal it I will be back at once." Not waiting for a reply, Weiss climbed up the ladder.

She stepped down and made a quick check, covered in her coat to try and resist the freezing cold. _Why did it become so cold all of a sudden? Am I getting sick? _

The light room was not in such a bad shape. Sure, the large dust powered beacon was destroyed and the glass panels protecting it were in really bad shape, shattered and cracked in various places.

But the ceiling was intact, save for a couple holes that let the rain come through. They were large holes, true, but nothing a little earth dust couldn't fix.

A quick flicker of Crown and a couple glyphs later, she was proudly admiring her handiwork. She had to make the rest of the roof thinner, of course, but it would pose no problem-

"_**OOOOOOOOOOOO!" **_

The sound came quickly and caught her off-guard, as did the sudden rush of cold that crawled up her spine. Weiss turned around, sword ready to cast a defending glyph.

And saw nothing. Fog, dense and thick the likes of which she had never seen before, covered her vision. She felt her skin freeze, as the grey mist surrounded her.

Weiss flicked Crown, activating her propelling glyph to shoot her away. She landed with a heavy thud on the floor, gasping and trying to make her frozen brain work.

Then, the mist swirled around the glasses, poured through the cracks and _looked_ at her with hungry red eyes. She felt her throat dry and cold, as she inhaled deeply and shouted with all her might.

The first two barrels had proven to be a disappointment for Yang- the oil inside had gotten enough humidity to be considered worthless at this point.

She heard the distinct sound of Weiss' glyphs activate, smiling. She didn't want to admit it, but she loved when the petite girl was acting stubborn- it was part of what made her so hot.

She opened the third barrel. And came face to face with a face. Holding her half-visible breath, Yang looked at the inside of the container.

A man's corpse was there, curled into a ball, trying to seemingly protect himself from something.

The only thing the hapless guy had managed to do, however, was to freeze to death. The entire liquid inside the barrel had somehow got frozen, as well as the person hiding inside it.

_Poor guy- just what happened to you?_ She averted her eyes from the agonized, still face in sadness and confusion.

She knew from Patch Island that Lighthouse lamp oil was usually a special mixture, designed to not freeze under the coldest environment possible.

Which meant two things- either dust use, or an- "YANG! HELP ME!"

The scream wiped every thought process away from her mind. Yang activated her bracers and literally jumped the ladder, they only thought in her mind being to annihilate anything that dared threaten her Princess.

The cold reached out to her, and she screamed in anger as her semblance flared, its light spreading from the tower all across the shore.


	25. Huntresses in The fog

**Hello everyone; I am back to uploading, how are you doing? Chapter 25 is here. It came out a little smaller than I wanted to, but I hope you enjoy it! No matter what, thanks for reading and following! See you all next week! **

* * *

Alizar stood at the balcony, smiling, looking through the binoculars. The momentary pulse of light coming from the old lighthouse had been snuffed and the thick mist had once more covered the tower's topmost part.

"What is so interesting?" Cherry, book in hand, walked outside behind him. The damp atmosphere curled her fur, making her mood even worse than usual.

"Team RWBY, or at least a part of it, encountered Fog. The situation is rather fascinating, if I say so myself."

"Fog?" she narrowed her eyes. "The dark energies pulsing from Avyssos permeate the entire island, as you know" he replied without turning around.

"As a result, all surviving Grimm have developed some interesting attributes. Among them, Fog is my favorite; a Geist that has possessed a mass of mist instead of a solid object."

A hum of interest made the man lower his equipment and turn around to look at her. Cherry was smirking in satisfaction "this is one of the most fascinating things that have ever come out of your mouth."

"Praising me while insulting me; that's so much like you." He lowered his gaze, seeing that she had fixed her weapon on her back. "Are you already going?"

"You promised me a chance to fight them, didn't you?" her voice was flat and emotionless as she tightened her kimono. "I didn't expect you to be that battle-crazed that's all."

"Fighting worthy opponents like Ruby Rose is a chance I rarely get. If I can capture her in combat, instead of letting her be tortured mentally and physically according to your plan, then it's a win-win situation for me."

He sighed "we will never see eye to eye, will we?" She raised her mask "it's not my fault you can't look up here." Ignoring her as she walked away, Alizar turned his attention back to the tower.

-o-

Yang held Weiss' body tight in her arms, her breath slowly returning. The petite girl, frigid cold when she had found her, was steadily getting warmer due to the blonde's semblance.

_To take down Weiss like this… _gray entered her vision as the cloud swarmed around her. Yang flared her semblance once more, ready to punch anyone daring to attack, but nothing came.

Instead, a wave of overwhelming frost fell upon her. She felt her girlfriend tense again as the mist engulfed them. Her skin crawled, as she could sense her reserves slowly diminish… _this thing is so cold, it actually eats my aura!_

"Win...ter? Sis?" Weiss' whimpering tore Yang's heart as another cold assault made her curl protectively around the white-themed girl. _This is no good, time to get the lower ground._

She gave a strong kick to the floor and jumped back, falling down the ladder as the mist swirled in accordance to her movement. Hugging Weiss tightly, she suppressed a groan of pain as she crashed on her back.

There was no time for messing around, however. Yang got up, gently helping the shivering girl back on her feet. She rubbed her eyes, slowly opening her lids, as the blonde examined the ceiling.

Much to her surprise, the fog didn't seem to follow, despite the growing cold. "How are you feeling baby?" "I had the weirdest dream. My head spins and I feel like I just came out of our refrigerator." She rubbed her shoulders, clearing ice from her metal shoulder pads. "I will live, nonetheless."

"Well, that's good. I am glad to see you up and standing" she appreciated. The pale pink had slowly crept back on her skin and if Weiss had enough energy to complain, then she was better than she seemed to.

"But I am sorry; it wasn't a dream" she pointed towards the ceiling, earning a wide-eyed stare from the alabaster girl as they both watched the soaked planks getting frozen solid, the temperature inside the room steadily dropping.

"So it wasn't a dream- this fog actually attacked me" she drew Myrtenaster and Crown, spinning both chambers to fire dust. "Yeah. We should get out of here; otherwise we will end up like this guy behind you."

"What guy behind m-" Weiss snapped back, suppressing the scream that came out from her very soul when she came face to face with the frozen corpse.

"He froze to death" she felt her breath turning ragged, as the drops started freeze and fall like small crystals on the floor. Gray shimmering mist started slowly descending from the opening in a very intelligent and predatory manner.

"Weissyy~ time to go!" Yang shouted. "No- we stay here. And take this down." Lilac eyes glared at her "we what?" "We can't outrun a fog cloud, Yang! And we need a place to rest"

Cyan disks shone in a purple hue as two blades flared with dust, casting their light on Weiss' eyes "this thing is going down."

"Damn, you are making me fall for you all over again" Yang grinned as she walked next to her. "What's the plan, Weiss-captain?"

She narrowed her eyes as the fog kept pouring in "I have a couple suspicions I want to confirm; follow my lead and stay alert."

The first suspicion was easy to confirm- as soon as the entire ceiling was covered in a thin layer of ice, the mist charged. _So it has enough intelligence to go after us directly, huh?_ "Blast it!"

Yang complied with Weiss' command and shot a missile, as both of them jumped back to the wall. The projectile passed through it and broke the wall, sending rabble all around the lighthouse.

The mist hit them head on, engulfing both huntresses in its icy clutch. Immediately, two black glyphs appeared beneath their feet and propelled them towards the other side of the room.

The couple landed and turned around as the cloud went after them at once. "Shoot again!" the blast once more ignored the gaseous body and created another large hole.

Weiss didn't wait for their enemy to fall upon them again, however. Making a swift arc with her blades, she activated a gravity-powered glyph in front of Yang.

The foggy mass slammed in front of it, just a few cm before the blonde. The power of the gravity dust kept it away, allowing both of them to reposition to their right before the barrier gave off.

"Smash the wall behind us!" Yang's swift metal punch broke the wooden plank. "Jump away!" Without looking back, she rolled on the floor and shot another missile at her previous spot, opening a larger hole as the cloud hovered behind her.

Weiss smirked as now three gaping holes in triangular positions on the wall had been formed. She landed gracefully in front of the only location without an opening, still smiling at the massive cloud in front of them. _Just one more remaining. _

Two sharp gasps resonated through the room, as both Weiss and Yang got impaled by large frozen spikes protruding from the floor. Their auras shook violently, as pain permeated their feet.

The girls looked down, horrified to see that the entire floor had been frozen and razor-sharp stalagmites rapidly grew in different sizes, slicing through the wood and their own bodies.

The entity didn't waste time. Grey mist assaulted their senses, as the chilling cold attacked their skin. It dried their mouths and hurt their nostrils. Their eyes felt like they would never open again from the severe pain.

"WEISS!" Yangs pained scream echoed. "I AM FINE! BLOW UP THE FLOOR!" "WHA-" the response was strained, like the blonde's vocal chords at this point. "JUST DO IT; LEAVE THE REST TO ME!"

The rising heat from the explosion, followed by the loss of foothold, felt like divine intervention to the alabaster huntress. She instinctively created a large white rune below them, allowing her and her girlfriend to avoid a very unpleasant crash landing.

Yang got on her feet, wiping away some wood splinters, the exact moment Fog rushed down after them.

Weiss spun Crown, forming a triangle of black glyphs beneath them. "When we get up, blast the wall in the remaining location to create a cross-shaped formation of holes, ok?"

"Sure" she only managed to reply to Weiss before the glyph system flared and shot them upwards. Deep cold momentarily pierced them as they rapidly passed thought the mass and reached the upper floor once more.

Yang quickly created the last hole required, as Weiss formed another floating foothold for them. "As soon as it reaches us, I want you to make us jump and grab the ladder that goes up, ok?"

The tall huntress nodded as her teammate quickly rotated the dust chambers to green. The grey mist below swirled and started ascending as she quickly cast one glowing green glyph at each of the four holes.

The freezing cloud surrounded them once more. "NOW, YANG!" Ember Celica roared and Yang Xiao Long made the jump and grabbed the ladder, her legs hovering in the air as her left arm held Weiss tight.

The petite lady pointed Myrtenaster towards the center of the room where their enemy floated and activated her wind glyphs.

At Weiss' command the circles flared; a powerful burst of energy shot forward from each opening, creating a dust-propelled twister of rain and wind.

Their enemy got simultaneously hit at all sides from the blast. Its gaseous mass got shriveled and surrounded by the powerful elemental attacks.

It tried to spread and escape, but its misty body got repelled by the cage of wind and rain, effectively trapping it inside. Weiss wasted no time. She flipped Myrtenaster's chamber to ice dust and cast a freezing rune.

The effect was immediate. The fog cloud, surrounded by wind and water, totally froze. Its mass turned into a giant ice shard, like a floating iceberg- and fell crashing onto the lighthouse's ground floor.

The sound of it breaking into pieces filled the interior. Both huntresses looked down; its form had been completely destroyed, leaving nothing but shattered remains in its place.

Weiss stowed both swords away, before grabbing the semi-frozen ladder "this is so cold!" she whined, earning a tighter hug from Yang. "Metal arm to the rescue" she giggled.

"Sorry" Weiss accidentally stepped on the tall girl's knee, trying to establish a foothold. "No problem- at least we are...safe?"

Yang's tone changed immediately, making Weiss turn and look down again. She raised her eyebrows in confusion. Confusion that immediately turned to anger.

The ground floor of the building was filled in rabble, the wreckage from the collapsed floor and the remains of the monstrous entity. Rising up from beneath them, however, the gray freezing cloud slowly gathered in the middle.

"No..." Weiss gasped, while Yang suppressed her urgency to swear. Her lilac eyes saw the fog reform, getting amassed in a large orb in the middle. "It didn't work" she heard her lover whisper.

Didn't it? She focused her gaze. Not only the dense mass was much thinner and slower than normal, it didn't even acknowledged their presence at all. As if it is dizzy...

Then her gaze spotted something in the middle of the orb. Something small and well-concealed- and very familiar. _So that's how it is, huh? I've gotta hand it to you, pal._

"Baby I have a plan, are you in?" The ex-heiress shot her a confused look. "that thing is a Grimm. I am going down there." "WHAT? Are you out of your mind?"

Yang moved slightly "There is a solid mass in its middle. I only want you to shoot both of us out of the door the moment I grab it- leave the rest to me."

The petite girl let an unladylike groan "I trust you to know that if you die, I am going to kill you." She put her left leg on the ladder and released her body from Yang's grip.

"I love you too" she winked as she jumped down. Yang didn't even bother halting her fall, as she created a crater on the floor, splintering wood and crashing ice.

The Grimm reacted at once. Instead of gathering its gaseous body, it sent the cloud upon the huntress, as she started walking towards it. She barely managed to put one small yellow shard inside her hand's gun before the enemy surrounded her.

Cold assaulted her once more- this time with a very focused and devastating frenzy behind it. Yang grinned. _Seems you don't want me closer to you right now, do you?_

Her semblance flared, engulfing her body in power. Adrenaline filled her body, as she left the tingling sensation of her fiery bursts on energy clashing with the gripping frost of the Grimm.

She kept advancing, still smiling. Her aura cracked and shivered. Her body tensed as another wave of cold wind hit her head on, but she was getting closer.

Another step towards it, as her eyes started becoming heavy. However, she could see it- the small, white bone mask in the middle of the room, protected by the powerful curtain of frost.

She reached out her arm. The cold was now chunking off pieces of her aura, but for some reason her enemy didn't move away. She was fine with that.

The thing was close...she could feel it pulsing… another step… her mechanical arm clutched the mask, the exact moment a powerful burst of cold hit her.

She saw her aura trembling as the fog roared with primeval fury, assaulting even the depths of her bones. Her metal fingers grew crystals as the furious cloud preyed on her body warmth.

She reacted by grabbing even tighter. Her throat was so frozen, she was sure her chords would break if she tried to use them. Not there was a need to of course; there was no way Weiss would fail to save her.

The sound of a glyph being activated confirmed her thoughts. The following gust of wind even more. Yang didn't even try to resist. The only thing she did was muster as much strength as she could to hold on to the mask.

Weiss added two more gravity and air glyphs propelling her wind cannon. She pulled the trigger of her semblance and felt her heart stop for a split second as the whirlwind picked the fog, Yang and half the debris and shot them out from the open main door.

Focusing her mind and cursing under her breath, she activated her stepping runes and jumped down, rushing after her reckless girlfriend.

Yang felt the dripping rain fall on her face, as the fog around her slowly dispersed. The freezing cloud was washed away from the rain, leaving only the form of a Geist in front of her, its face still held between her arms.

She didn't even stand up from where she was, lying on her back in the middle of the rock outside the lighthouse. She only activated her gun, grinning widely in satisfaction.

"You are one tough bastard, I will give you that" she whispered as the lightning dust flared and the Grimm got turned into dust, the mask disappearing in thin air.

"This place seriously sucks" she said as Weiss landed next to her, a tender expression on her face. "Yes" she helped her on her feet "let's get inside and see if there is any place left intact."

"That's a pretty awesome idea, I have to say. And while we are at it, let's give the poor guy a proper burial." Weiss nodded and they both stepped back in the tower.


	26. Blood, Sweat and Tears

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? As usual, not many things to say here. Chapter 26 is up. I hope you enjoy it. **

**Once more, thank you so much for keeping up with the story, either by following/favoring, or simply reading it. You are the best. **

**See you next week. Have fun! **

* * *

The thing that rose up from the pile was definitely a Grimm. The powerful pitch black torso that resembled a tall, muscular human made sure of that.

And that was the only normal thing about it. The lower body was long and serpentine, its end covered by the lack of proper light. Blake was sure she spotted a waving reptilian tail behind its back.

The head was long and snake-like, resembling a huge cobra. The bone mask covered the entire face and hood, with only the trademark red eyes contrasting its pale color.

The worst part, however, was the arms; or rather, the lack of them. Instead of normal upper limbs two hissing masses of long squirming snake bodies sprouted from each side of the torso.

Little red eyes and bone masks adorned each head, making every single strand of hair in Blake's body stand on edge. She tried to measure them. She stopped after the first twenty.

"Slowly back off" Ruby whispered, the faunus complying without any protest. The creature's head tilted around messily as if just waking up from a slumber. The red eyes opened wide.

Its snake-like jaws opened with a hiss, revealing two sets of fangs. Green saliva dripped from them, merging with the rain water.

At once, all the tiny heads turned to the huntresses, filling their vision with dozens of small crimson orbs, gleaming in the dim light. The hissing grew stronger.

"Run" was the only thing Ruby had to say, before both girls' semblances activated. A burst of petals and a shadow clone teleported them a few meters away, both skidding on the wet mud with their weapons drawn.

The sound of dozens tiny bites on the warehouse walls followed, and after that the moving mass of serpents tore open the door.

Its slithering body crawled through the opening… "Fire!" Envelop and Crescent Rose sprung into action, pelting the Grimm with dust-powered gunfire.

The walls shuddered; the stones got filled with smoldering holes. Mud splattered all around the place. The monster fell down on the wet ground, the falling rain hitting its corpse.

Still… "It's not vanishing" Blake said as she quickly replaced a clip. Ruby nodded, rapidly reloading her rifle. She took one step sideways before she noticed something strange "did its arms get thinner?"

Realization hit both girls a second too late. Snake heads dug out of the mud around their feet, ferociously biting them. Ruby screamed in pain, as she felt her aura continuously getting poked and assaulted.

Blake was swifter. She activated a shadow clone that teleported her away, landing on top of a half-wrecked pile of crates. A second later, Ruby burst next to her, panting.

Their attackers retreated inside the earth, leaving a few tiny holes behind them. "I hope they are not poisonous" the faunus said. "I have antidote, but it was designed for King Tajitu; I have no idea if it will…work?"

The red-caped girl's reply got sidetracked, as the snakes surfaced around the corpse, reforming the swirling appendages. Quickly, its 'arms' regained their form and started squirming.

The creature's red eyes shone again and the serpent slowly got up. The large head snapped towards the huntresses, letting a low hissing sound that was barely heard beneath the rain.

"A parasitic-type Grimm?" Blake grimaced. They were a little more than twenty meters away from their enemy, but their lack of knowledge about it made the situation nothing less than tricky.

"Seems like it" Ruby replied. "I have never seen parasites able to leave their host- Professor Port would have a field trip with this."

The long body started moving towards them, very slowly "So what's the plan?" The reaper narrowed her eyes "destroying the host is pointless and getting close to it is very risky… we have to ground it."

"How are-" before Blake could finish her question, the snakes shot forward with unimaginable speed. Both girls were ready and jumped back on the ground just one moment before the host slammed the pile with its powerful body.

The half-rotten wood didn't even resist as a powerful bite snapped it in half. "SPLIT!" Ruby and Blake ran in opposite directions, the former bursting towards the sea and the latter running north.

The faunus was half satisfied half terrified to see the thing follow her. She picked up her pace running across the yard towards the scattered remains of abandoned boats, gunshots being heard from behind her.

Knowing Envelop wouldn't cut it at this distance, she drew Nightfall and swirled it around just in time to deflect the incoming onslaught of bites.

The large head opened its jaws, releasing a wide green cloud. The cat girl had no intention of confirming first-hand what this poisonous-looking gas was and quickly teleported under the nearest boat.

On the other side, Ruby cursed under her breath when she saw the thing follow her teammate. She shot twice at its back but her bullets didn't even graze the monster.

_We have to ground it… _shooting on the ground to gain momentum, she activated her semblance once more and burst quickly on top of the warehouse.

Her heartbeat increasing as she saw her friend avoid the poison wave, she quickly removed two long red barrels and fastened them on Crescent Rose.

Blake dived under the nearest boat as Ruby attached a small revolving external chamber, rain mixing with the sweat from her head and dripping all over her glove- covered hands.

The Grimm kept ignoring her and followed Blake under her hiding place, slowly tilting its head below the boat. "Just let me make it in time… please…"

Blake held her breath as the nightmare head peeked at her. Dozens tiny snake-Grimm hungrily opened their fangs to feast on her flesh, saliva falling over their fangs.

The sound of a dust shard getting broken was followed by the hissing and biting from dozens hungry mouths.

Feeling sorry for her clone, the raven-haired girl teleported on the enemy's back. Her earth-infused duplicate trapped all her assailants' mouths, allowing her to escape-

The massive tail slammed her on the back. Blake rolled on the ground to gain momentum and jumped back on her feet; only to get hit on the head by the remains of the destroyed boat and the crushed rocks.

The serpent rose tall in front of her, throwing wreckage all over the place. Trying to get over the massive headache and dizziness, she stood up- and froze on spot.

Sun's clones fell on her, striking from every distance. Her arms and legs stung like hell, as the gunchucks tore her skin and drained her aura. One of them smashed the base of her neck.

She knew it was faek. She knew she should try get up. She knew she should resist. But she couldn't. She couldn't hit Sun ever again. She would rather- "NOOOOOOOO!"

Ruby's voice snapped her out of the hallucination. Her pain-numbed brain barely registered what happened before a fiery shower of destruction fell upon the enemy.

Mustering every single drop of aura in her body, she teleported away, rolling on the ground to avoid the incoming Halo.

Ruby panicked when she saw the parasites literally _eat_ Blake's aura away. She wasn't sure why, but her friend had stopped fighting back; instead she just stood there, waiting to be slaughtered.

Her silver eyes opened wide in horror as the large cobra head opened wide to shower the faunus in the possibly very deadly green cloud.

"NOOOOOOOO!" she picked up the modified Crescent Rose, glad she had managed to implement the shooting modifications at least. There was no time for safety here.

The machinegun modification spun rapidly and the increased dust output flared. The fire dust moved inside the chamber, unrestrained, instantly raising the weapon's temperature.

The first fire bolts slammed on the humongous head. The gas cloud never got released and the arms unattached from Blake's body. Her entire weapon was burning, but Ruby didn't care- she knew her baby could take it.

The moment she saw the girl blink away, Ruby removed the limiter and fired at full capacity. Her entire body flared from the rifle's overcharge.

Her nostrils filled with the smell of burnt leather- her gloves had just melted. Sweat oozed from every pore of her body, despite the heavy rain.

She felt a sharp, burning pain in her palms, her shoulder and her cheek. Was she burning up? She didn't care. All she cared was to continue firing at the horrible abomination that had nearly killed her friend.

And fire she did. To Blake, it seemed like the heavens had opened and holy fire rained down on her enemy. Like a meteor shower, Ruby's machinegun-propelled fire shots lit up the entire yard.

Showered in consecutive explosions, the serpent couldn't even attempt resist as its body literally evaporated from the massive heat. Its bone mask shattered into pieces, its torso got blown in half.

And then silence fell. Ruby stood at the edge of the roof, panting. Her eyes, blurry with sweat and rain, could barely see the outline of the Grimm behind the raised dust and smoke.

Her entire body felt hot, like she was burning up. She felt sick, Crescent Rose felt extremely heavy on her hands. Her silver orbs were closing- she felt exhausted.

Exhaustion hit her like a truck. Her head spun. Her eyes shut. She could barely feel her hands and cheek. Stumbling forward, Ruby felt her weapon leave her grasp and fall down the roof onto the ground.

Her own body followed soon enough.

-o—

"_Elia, why is the port burning?" _

His younger self's question came to Alizar's mind as he watched the old shipyard burst in flames- probably due to a dust overuse.

The red head boy sighed. He had been expecting team RWBY to bring the heavy guns with them, but this was too literal for his tastes.

"_I don't know. Alizar, Robus" his big sister's bright amber eyes looked at them in concern "promise me you will both do as I say, ok? We have to go down there and find the boat dad hid for us in the lighthouse, ok? _

Ah, the lighthouse. How many times had he and his siblings spent an entire evening there, messing around Barley's staff? They even had stolen one of his log books and used it as a secret diary.

He smiled bitterly. The diary should still be there. If he had any intention of messing around with Fog, he would have gone there to retrieve it- assuming it was still intact to begin with.

_As the children ran down the shadowed road, the fires from the village grew wild. "The entire place is burning!" the frightened voice of Robus said "where is everyone?" _

Robus. His younger brother. Alizar remembered him quite fondly; his curly, jet-black hair. His deep black eyes and pale skin. His smiling and caring thin face with the narrow jaw.

Of all three siblings, he was the one resembling their father the most. He even had the same taste in music and same eating habits, like separating food in is plate before devouring it.

The amber-eyed man wiped away a tear. His younger brother, long gone from this world, way before his time.

"_We can't worry about them; remember what Jonas and Dad said" Elia's gentle and firm voice replied as they strode the hidden track, avoiding the burning houses. _

"_But…" Alizar cut off his brother "Elia is right, bro. We can't do anything- let dad handle it." He gave of a weak smile that seemed to do the trick, as Robus nodded and started moving again. _

"_These are my boys" Elia smiled with pride. "Let's go; the lighthouse is no far away. Barley will show us where the boat is" she added, before a pulse of green energy shot up from the mountain and suddenly stopped them in their tracks. _

"I will never forget the sickening green light" he murmured to himself. "The nausea, the disgusting feeling in the atmosphere as the pillar shot up to the cloud-covered sky…"

He looked at Jaune's body, the runes covering it pulsing with the exact same light- albeit a lot weaker. "How ironic…"

"_Sis, what was that?" Elia gritted her teeth "forget it; let's go!" Robus whimpered "But-" "I said. Let's go!" _

_Both of them nodded meekly and followed her to the lighthouse. The tower was intact and seemed to be in a good shape. _

_Barley's house was dark but the storage room lights were lit- the old man was probably observing the area, waiting for them. _

"How foolish we were back there… to think things would be so simple…"

_The large door was open. The area was as usual- empty of stuff, since the old man kept everything on the upper floor. "Barley?" Elia asked in a low voice. _

"_P-pleaase… noo…" the voice belonged to the old man, but was meek and scared. It came from above and, without delay, the three Reds climbed up the stairs. _

_Near the end of the staircase, Elia stopped. She heard people talk and to her constantly growing worry, she couldn't recognize their voices. _

_She turned around and motioned her brothers to stay quiet, something both frightened children complied with. _

_Carefully, all three of them peeked over the bars, eyes wide in fear as they saw Barley, badly beaten, inside an oil barrel. Only his head was kept above the liquid, as a cloak-covered man was standing in front of him. _

"_What are we going to do with him?" the man, holding the lighthouse keeper's head asked. Another one stepped down the rope ladder and jumped in front of the poor old guy. _

"_Why are you still bothering with him? Leonardo was clear- no witnesses." Barley's eyes opened wide as the second man drew a knife and moved towards him. _

"_WAITT! PLEASEEE! NONONONO-GAAAAHHHH!" was the last thing he managed to say before the guy sliced his throat and pushed him inside the barrel with the lid. _

"The world sucks- and the Grimm are not even the worst part of it. We learned that lesson the hard way that day" Alizar exclaimed, gazing the motionless Jaune in anger.

"_BARLEY!" Robus screamed, making both men turn in surprise to them. "WHO ARE YOU?" the second one shouted. _

"_RUN!" Elia shot a glass projectile to both of them, knocking them off their feet, before the siblings started running down the ladder, half-terrified, half-crying. _

_Both men got up quickly. "Don't let them escape- nobody must survive!" the first said again, while the second touched the ladder. _

"_Ah!" Alizar and Robus slipped, as thick grease covered the stairs. They rolled on the floor and fell down on the ground. _

_Elia ran after them, but the first huntsman got in her way. She furiously grabbed her weapons and charged him. The other man jumped down, in front of the two boys. _

"The part after this is really blurry. I remember listening to my beloved sis shouting and fighting as she tried to get to us. I tried to attack the man, but guess what; I was so weak" he sat down next to the knight.

"The assassin toyed with us while pretending to fight; he kicked me twice and threw me away. Robus got punched to the ground three times."

_The man picked Alizar with his left hand, clutching his neck. "GAH!" Robus got up, trembling. He looked at the caped man who was strangling his brother. _

"_Heh, pity. You could have-" his words were cut off as Robus punched him in the back. Alizar felt the world turn upside-down as he was thrown on the floor. _

_And then, a gunshot. Followed by the sound of a body collapsing. "ROBUS!" Elia's voice pierced through his ears. _

_Alizar stood up. "No…" he felt his eyes water. His legs gave away. His brother, his beloved little brother was on the floor, bleeding, with a bullet hole in his forehead. _

_And the man over him….smiling?! "You should know better to fight a professional huntsman, kid." _

The redhead looked at Jaune. "Professional huntsmen. Nothing more than low-life thugs, that's what you are."

He spat on the boy. "You talk big, talk like you are the heroes. People admire you, _the protectors of humanity_. You disgust me."

He stood up "truth is you are nothing more than hired killers and mercenaries. You are nothing better than Grimm- at least they have no other choice but to obey their instincts."

_Alizar knelt in front of the lighthouse's yard and hugged his brother's cold body, panting and weeping. Around him, the two men were torn in pieces, their blood still dripping off Midnight's blades. _

_Elia gasped and panted, hot tears running down her face, reflecting the sickly green color that still pulsed over the island. "I will not forgive them!" _

"_Sis?" the girl turned around to her brother, sadness and anger marring her beautiful features. "I will not forgive them! I WILL KILL THEM! ALL OF THEM!"_

_She knelt down, her hair messed, blood all over her body as she clawed the mud "I SWEAR IN MY BLOOD AND MY HOMELAND! I WILL TEAR THEIR WORLD TO PIECES WITH MY OWN HANDS!" _

"Up until her last breath, Sis kept her promise" he spat on the floor "she tried to end the disgusting world you bastards protected."

Alizar wiped his eyes, keeping back his tears "you inflicted so much pain to us. You destroyed our home- you killed our people. You showed us what suffering truly is."

He walked to the other side of the room, where a carefully crafted runic green circle was carved. One vial of dark, murky goo was kept in a chalice in its middle.

He drew something out of his pocket- a small piece of steel; part of a broken weapon he had Bistre recover for him from Yugure Cathedral. He dropped it into the goo "it's time for me to return the favor."


	27. Night Falls in Grimmwater

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? **

**Chapter 27 is up. It is one of the chapters, along with the next one, that I absolutely loved writing.**

** I am wondering however, if I managed to do the characters proper justice, along with keeping the whole atmosphere consistent. In regards to that, please tell me if there is any detail that seems like spoiling the whole scene. **

**Thank you so much once more for reading, following, and/or favoring. You are the best! I will see you next week with my favorite so far chapter!**

* * *

Weiss was kneeling in front of the hastily-made grave that the frozen lighthouse guard rested in. Deciding they couldn't use this place as a proper shelter anymore, they had both opted to leave as soon as possible.

Before that, however, the pale girl had buried the poor man at the base of the rock where his ruined home was and had quickly offered him a simple farewell ceremony.

"May your spirit find proper rest; forgive me for not knowing your name" she stood up. "Barley; his name was Barley. May you rest in peace, pal" Yang finished her lover's farewell words as she climbed down next to her.

They both solemnly bowed and Weiss turned to the taller girl "besides his name, did you find anything else important?" Yang shrugged her shoulders.

"The only salvageable thing was this" she picked a small leather-covered notebook out of her pocket. "And it survived the wreckage because it was well-hidden inside a brick- oldest trick in the book."

She gave the book to Weiss who smirked fondly as she hastily flipped the pages. "It looks like a diary- we should read it when we find the time to."

Yang nodded and continued "besides that, nothing; valuables were scattered and destroyed, all in a semi-frozen state. Probably Grimm work."

"I don't know about the house" the shorter girl replied "but this person was murdered; his throat was slit open in a very professional manner."

"So what; someone killed this guy, left his belongings around and then the Grimm came and destroyed everything?" Yang's look of disbelief made Weiss wonder about that as well.

"Anyway baby, we can discuss about this later" she pointed around them "it's getting even darker and I would like us to find Blake and Rubes or at least a place to rest."

"You are right" Weiss nodded in a serious manner, stowing the diary away "there are so many things we don't know; it's pointless to waste any more time around here."

Yang threw Weiss' backpack over her own shoulder, before splitting another ration bar in half. She threw one piece into her mouth and gave her girlfriend the other.

Accepting the offer, Weiss threw the tasteless treat into her mouth, chewing in a well-mannered way before starting to walk towards the unexplored side.

"I fink I thaw a few houtheth earlier" Yang gulped down the bar "we should at least find shelter there. Maybe there is a village or something."

As both of them had climbed back on the rock, the darkening sky lit up. In the dim shadows, both girls saw a huge fiery barrage on the far side of the coast.

The consecutive explosions provided enough vision to them in order to see that truly a village stood a few kilometers away from them- dark and abandoned, but filled with possible shelters.

The most important part, however, was… "That was Crescent Rose Gatling Mode" Weiss whispered. "Unless there also fire-breathing Grimm here too" Yang instantly replied.

Both girls shared a worried look. And then they made haste for the village' northern coast where Ruby had just unleashed hell upon her enemies.

-o—

Ruby opened up her eyes, immediately aware of the pulsing pain in her body. Her entire _being_ actually was in pain- had she really crashed down the roof?

She examined her body and palms- they were hurting, but otherwise were fine; no cuts, bruises of burn marks. _Weird…_ she thought as she flipped her cloak and tried to sit on her position.

She was in the warehouse, the pouring water had stopped running down the ceiling. The door was open, but no draft was coming in. Next to her, a small pot with piping hot soup was standing, above a small fire.

In front of the pot Blake was sitting with her back turned to her, stirring the soup. "Blake?" "Oh you are awake, sleepy head." Ruby smiled "I am so glad you are ok!"

She tried to move, but her back hurt quite too much. "Don't overexert your wounds; I just close them." _Then why do I not feel them at all?_ "Eat; I have left a bowl right next to you."

She looked at her left, where truly a steaming bowl of hot soup was standing. Realizing she was famished, Ruby picked it up, ignoring the slight sting from touching it, and brought the tasty- looking liquid to her mouth.

It was hot and really delicious. She took two large gulps before she lowered the bowl, licking her lips. And then, she felt her insides burn, as the soup started running down her mouth.

Pain wracked her body, tearing apart her very being. Thick, viscous, disgusting goo came out of her closed mouth, dripping down her chin. She tried to compose herself, tried to spit it away.

And then her eyes fell on her food. Instead of the piping hot soup, she saw a thick, iron-smelling dark red liquid filling her bowl. _Blood…_

She threw it on the ground "Blake…gaah…" she tried to speak between her goo-filled mouth "what is…aahh… this?"

Blake stood up and turned at her. Blake? No, this couldn't be Blake. Blake wasn't that tall and her eyes were always gentle yellow, not sinister-looking amber.

Her lips should be open wide in worry, not drawn across her face in such a delighted smirk. And… _how could I not have seen she didn't have cat ears?_

"This?" the sultry voice asked as the woman walked in front of her. "This is the blood of all you couldn't save, Little Red." She hissed "Cin…blaagh…der"

The Fall Maiden leaned down in front of her "Pyrrha, Penny, Uncle Qrow, Jaune… all of them died because you were not strong or fast enough…"

She struggled to stand, but she couldn't. Her body was heavy. Heavy and burning from the inside, eating her flesh away. She mustered every ounce of strength she had to stare her enemy in the face.

A perfectly-manicured hand caressed her left cheek, wiping the blood from it "and now… Blake has joined them too."

Ruby's façade dropped. Her face paled instantly, her mind failing to comprehend what had just happened. She tried to speak, but only managed to fill her lungs with blood "Noo…blah… nooo…gahh…nn…"

"You have failed your friends again. Sleep well, Little Red."

-o—

Ruby opened her eyes. Her first reaction was to stand up, but her body refused to obey. She blinked twice and tried to raise her hand. It was heavy, but she managed to focus enough on it and make it move.

Slowly and steadily, she rose up, taking in her surroundings. She was in a small room with wooden floor and two completely shut- down windows. An open door was just opposite them.

The place was totally empty save for a pile of things in the corner next to her, Crescent Rose included. The atmosphere was moldy, but not in a totally repulsive way.

She was lying down on top of two bedrolls and was covered in her red cloak. The total darkness of the room was being disrupted by a small dust lamp in its middle.

Her cheek hurt, along with her left shoulder. She looked at them; they were neatly bandaged. Her palms were as well. The familiar sting and smell of the healing salve could also be felt below the bandages.

_What a horrible nightmare_ she trembled as she hug her cloak tight, trying to calm down herself. Then a horrible thought flashed through her mind.

_Blake. Where is Blake? _She wasn't here of course. Like Yang and Weiss. Like Jaune. Like everyone that Ruby had failed the last years of her life.

In her jumbled and confused state, images of her friend getting smacked by the Grimm, getting caught in her line of fire or slowly succumbing to her wounds while carrying Ruby swarmed her mind.

"Noo…" and like this, all got washed away. Weiss' kind words, Yang's tender presence, Blake's gentle support…her friend's help…everything got deleted.

Panic consumed Ruby. All built up tension exploded at once, filling her entire mind with sorrow and fear. Ignoring the pain in her palms, she clutched the scarlet-colored fabric and screamed in agony as the dam broke and tears streamed down her face.

Blake had just finished searching around and returned to the first floor of the house. She had stumbled upon a few intriguing, if quite morbid, findings- something totally unexpected of a random house in the middle of the village.

She took a slow peek at the mud-covered road behind the sealed windows. Nothing; the night had deeply fallen upon them and the heavy silence that accompanied it was deceptively captivating.

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" **_

The scream froze Blake's blood; it was horrible, filled in pain and sorrow. It seemed as if someone was trying to scream their soul out of their body. And that someone was her team leader.

Making no sound despite literally jumping up the stairs to the second floor, the faunus slammed open the door to their room, her hand in Nightfall's handle.

And then her eyes locked with Ruby's.

Her friend was trembling, eyes wet from crying, clutching tightly her soaked cloak in her bandaged palms. The salve in her left cheek had melted along with her tears, dripping down on her chest- truly a shocking sight for the famous huntress.

There was no time however for standing there. Blake rushed- "STAY AWAY!" and then froze on spot in response to the reaper's scream.

Silver eyes opened wide in horror and the brunette moved away from her, sticking her body to the wall. Her breath was erratic and her lips were trembling. She was still clutching the red fabric in her hands.

Blake stretched her arm out in an attempt to ease her, but… "I SAID STAY AWAY! HAVEN'T YOU TORTURED ME ENOUGH?"

"Ruby it's me… it's Blake. Please let me-" "YOU ARE NOT BLAKE! BLAKE IS…" she sniffed, her eyes wide and bulging "… BLAKE IS DEAD! I LET HER DIE!"

_Dear Dust, she is delirious!_ "No you didn't! I am here-" she took one little step forward. "LEAVE ME ALONE! IT'S MY FAULT; JUST LET ME DIE ALREAD-"

Blake teleported next to the girl and cut her off by slapping her right cheek. "Get yourself together Ruby Rose! You are breaking apart- what's going on with you?"

Ruby didn't reply; instead she touched her cheek, letting her cloak fall on the floor. She could feel it, even beneath the bandage. It hurt… but it was warm; _so warm…_

"Blake… is it really you?" she asked with tears in her eyes and a cracked smile on her battered face. "You are…alive?"

The faunus knelt and grabbed the dropped piece of fabric, draping around her friend's shoulders before hugging her tightly. "We need to talk" she whispered, narrowing her eyes "and you will tell me everything."

-o—

The sound of Ruby slowly chewing the tasteless bar was the only thing disrupting the silence of the room. Blake was sitting next to her, slowly waiting for the red-caped girl to start talking.

"You said they were killed" the monotone voice from the brunette was heard. "Yes" the faunus replied. "Four skeletons in total, at least two of them died to bullets."

"That's weird..." the emotionless reply came again. "Maybe there was some infighting between the people and that was what drew the Grimm here?"

"That's a mystery we will deal with later; right now there is something else we should be discussing, don't you think?" The reaper avoided looking at her, chewing and mumbling in deep thought.

"I have done some stupid stuff lately" she finally admitted. "That's putting it mildly" Blake replied flatly. "That bad, huh?" the girl turned and came face-to-face with her friend's accusatory stare.

"Let's see… you spent time picking needless disguises… left half the team on a boat while fighting away Galeodons… instead of performing Nightflower with me to cut down all the parasite Grimm, you panicked and used Gatling Rose without applying safety protocols causing your body to overheat and inflicting four minor burns on your skin..."

With every word coming out of the raven-haired girl's mouth, Ruby's shame grew. She tugged herself in her cloak even more, lowering her gaze away from Blake's condescending eyes.

"… but the worst of all was that when you woke up, your heart was so shattered, that instead of realizing there would be no one else around here to tend to your wounds, you thought I was dead and started bowling your eyes out while my clothes were drying out in front of you! So yes, it is _that bad_, Ruby; it's downright terrifying to me!"

"I-I… I have no excuse..." she whispered. "I think you have" Blake spat. She knew she was hurting her friend pushing her like this but she had to. She knew the situation very well; after all… and what she saw perplexed her.

_This is worse than how I was a year ago- abnormally worse. There is no way she crashed down like this so quickly._ She gritted her teeth, seeing in Ruby's behavior so many familiar things

There was no way she would let her friend fall into that pit of despair; she had told her so a few hours ago and now was the time to honor her words.

"There is no excuse, Blake..." she continued. "Jaune being abducted, our failure in Yugure, me not knowing what will happen to Jaune even if I get him back… it's all too much!"

"What are you talking about?" Ok, now she was confused. "You marched with 15 people in Salem's lair, after a freaking month of walking and fighting in the Grimmlands! You fought Cinder head-on in Vacuo in the middle of a herd of rampaging Deathstalkers!"

Ruby's eyes opened just a little, as if… she was surprised? "That was different, I-"

"You had a few weeks ago lost your mentor and saw your uncle get killed, along with Weiss' sister! You had seen Ironwood getting assassinated and his killer escaping with the Relic of Creation in hand!"

Ruby tried to reply, but she stopped. A simple thought rose from the depths of her soul and crawled inside her mind. _She is right- I did all these!_

"You tended to Jaune for one year, kept on telling us that you believed in him and that he would return to us- was that hope a lie?" _No, it wasn't. I really believed in Jaune. Why did I stop believing? _

"So, I will ask you again; what is going on, Ruby? Because what's happening to you isn't normal- it defies any sort of logic. What has happened to you these last three days?"

Ruby took a deep breath- and felt her heart beat strongly. Blake's words had a strange effect on her. _Why?_ Suddenly, her late behavior, her thoughts, her struggles seemed so… off-putting

_Why am I acting… so desperate? I… am Ruby Rose! I am a huntress! I am the leader of team RWBY; the coolest team in Remnant! I…_

"What have I been doing?" the sound was so chipper and sudden, it made Blake's heart skip a beat. "Did someone replace my brain with Cardin's?"

Blake's yellow orbs opened wide, followed by a satisfied smile, as the faunus saw a pair of bright shining gunmetal eyes reflect the dim light of the dust lamp.

"I sure hope not- I would hate having to beat you up" she joked. "Well, I think Yang would beat you up to it any way" the girl giggled, making the faunus roll her eyes.

"Bad puns aside" Ruby draped the cloak properly behind her back "there is something that I truly should talk to you about; I am having strange dreams lately. Maybe you can help me with it."

Blake's expression turned immediately serious and she nodded as Ruby pondered how to start. "The first one was during our flight- three days ago..."


	28. Those who Roam in The Night

**Hello everyone, how are you doing? **

**This is my favorite chapter so far, I hope you like it. I am trying to include lots of things in one single chapter and hope they turned out well. **

**Apologies for the notifications spam to everyone who follows or favors the story- I reuploaded chapters 1-5 trying to give them a more pleasant to read look. **

**As always, thank you so much for reading the story. Have fun until next week! **

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Blake took a deep breath, gently rubbing circles in Ruby's back as the girl finished her telling of the horrible nightmares that had been plaguing her.

"How many times has this happened to you?" she asked after the girl took a breath to calm down. "Four; one at the bullhead, one at the boat, one before I woke up at the shore and one now."

"And are they all so… vivid?" Ruby nodded "every time they become more and more lively. The first time she was simply whispering to me while I was on a shore, but… the last one was…"

She shivered, making the faunus give her some water. Ruby took a few sips. "So, what do you think? Am I going crazy or not?" she gave a restrained smile.

Blake rolled her eyes "they have a few similarities with mine, like the pain they inflict on you or their extremely realistic nature. But…there are two things that bother me Ruby."

"Like what?" "They are moving very slowly… nightmares like that tend to be a representation of our inner psyche, you know and usually reflect the way our fears and anxiety surfaces."

"Em, I am not sure I got that…" the faunus closed her eyes smiling before she continued "simply, the fact that your dreams turned worse and worse so rapidly is totally unnatural- as well as their context."

"You mean what I am seeing?" Blake nodded "you didn't see Jaune, us getting killed, or anyone of our enemies; Grimm, Alizar or the weird masked woman."

"Yeah…" she admitted, still a little confused "…I only saw Cinder killing me twice…" "And that is very weird, unless you have combined all sorts of traumatic experiences with her in your mind."

Ruby bit her lip "I wouldn't say so… I mean, I hate Cinder for sure, but nothing like this had happened until now, not even during the war."

"And that's my point" Blake opened her eyes again, staring at the younger girl. "What could have happened these last few days that gave birth to such an abnormal state of mind?"

"Jaune was abducted, but my nightmares didn't start until we…" Ruby pondered for a few minutes "… we…" she stopped, her eyes lighting in recognition "…until we came to Nanko!"

"I agree" the black-haired beauty solemnly said "which is why I believe that your nightmares are caused from an outside influence." The redhead closed her eyes in mock pain "the nightmares were like the sailors'…"

"Indeed they were. And seeing as all of them have something to do with the sea, I think you have been infected with the _Seamen Disease_."

"How… how stupid!" Ruby face palmed. "How did I fail to notice it until now? The sailors, the polluted air, everything… it makes sense…oh I feel so dumb!"

"Don't be harsh on yourself; you were under a lot of strain after all." The redhead exhaled in disappointment "still that was pretty amazing, Blake! You were so cool, like a detective or something!"

The faunus scratched her hair in embarrassment "it is just a lucky guess I made combining the few things Weiss told me along with what I know about you, as well as _this_."

While speaking, she picked out of her clothes a vial and gave her to Ruby who examined it. "Bromosapan?"

Blake let off a small laugh "It's Bromazepam, Ruby. A strong sleeping pill, like the ones they gave me when Sun was hospitalized. It is used to treat insomnia due to extreme mental stress."

Ruby looked the pills in disgust "thanks Blake, but I don't think I need pills…" another small laughter followed "these have expired. I took it as evidence." "Evidence? For what?"

"I found them in a drawer in the floor below us. As well as in the other five houses I managed to check while trying to find us a shelter. And before you ask; no it's not normal for so many people to be taking it."

"Or to have sleeping problems… and we met a very powerful Grimm here." Yellow eyes narrowed "something very bad happened in this place and it still persists, if it can make you feel like this."

She gave the vial back to Blake "we have to rest. And then find the others. And then get Jaune. And while we are at it, maybe we can take down whatever thing is behind all these."

"I agree. So rest, I will take first shift." Ruby smiled "thanks, Blake. By the way…" the faunus turned around "yes?"

"Is this black blouse with red poppies and the ladybug-themed pair of trousers mine?"

-o—

The abandoned shipyard was filled in debris and the remains of what once must had been half a dozen boats. Yang noticed quite the amount of scattered planks around the front yard, accompanied by the obvious signs of gunfire.

She sniffed the air and grimaced as she stood in front of the bullet filled wall of the main building. There was no smell of gunpowder or any traces of fire, but the immense humidity could be the cause behind the lack of clues.

Suddenly, her lilac eyes spotted a small, red-stained mass in the entrance of the building. She quickly took a peek at Weiss who was kneeling next to a large crater a few meters away and opened the half- destroyed door.

Under the light of her lamp, she saw a few bloodstains the rain hadn't reached to wash away, just next to the main entrance. A few blood soaked white stripes of cloth were left nearby, along with an empty needle.

_Used bandages and a painkiller; someone was hurt; thank Dust the blood doesn't seem too much. _Her heart heavy with anxiety, she walked around the abandoned building for any traces of her partner or her sister.

Her search proved fruitless however. Except for the fungus-covered remains of the unlucky workers and a destroyed pile of barrels and crates, nothing else of importance came up.

Torn between her relief for not finding any tragic remain and her growing anxiety for the fate of the other girls, she stepped out the exact same moment Weiss had picked up something from a bullet hole in the wall.

"I found bandages and an SHU syringe- someone got pretty trashed in whatever battle happened here" she tried to sound as professional as possible.

"Well" Weiss replied in a more positive manner "I am glad to say that whoever was it, she wasn't alone. I found both Envelop's and Cresent Rose's cartridges around the area. Blake and Ruby were together here."

Yang's face lit up "so the injured one got treated by the other." Her girlfriend nodded in a comforting smile "and probably got carried away to a safe place by her."

The blonde released a breath she had been holding for quite a while "I feel I can breathe again. Geez, all these are bad for my heart."

The petite girl put the shells in her pocket and looked around; the night was full upon them and despite the lack of fog and rain at this point the total desolation of the island limited their vision quite a lot.

"My guess is they went to the town- if the injured one was not badly hurt, they would try to find a dry and safe place to spend the night. I think it would be safer to follow their example."

Yang didn't reply; instead she focused her eyes on the main gate of the yard, staring at the deep darkness as Weiss continued "… and we wouldn't be safe here, as we don't know what attacked them; are you listening to me?"

The blonde didn't turn to look at her. She only replied in a flat voice "something is coming."

The ex-heiress drew Myrtenaster as Yang let her lamp on the ground and got her bracers ready to fight. She gulped, remembering Winter's teachings '_only two kinds of things walk out there in the night, Weiss- the predators and their prey._'

A few seconds passed, tension rising in both girls' blood before a figure appeared. It walked slowly yet steadily, its bone-skull face with the sardonic smile and devilish horns the first thing visible as the lamp's weak light hit it.

"A Nuckelavee" was the only thing Yang managed to say as the figure walked closer, revealing its full form before stopping a few meters away from them.

Surprise was the first thing that hit them, followed by recognition and then anger. That thing was no Nuckelavee; as a matter of fact it was not even a Grimm to begin with!

In front of them, standing in leather brown boots, was a woman wearing a floral-patterned kimono that tightly hugged her lean body. In her arms was a mechanical green Naginata with a shining silver blade.

She was wearing a horrifying mask resembling the dreadful Grimm, with fluffy cherry hair falling behind it. A pair of orange fox ears stood on top of her head. From her neck a large ornamental talisman resembling the head of a Leviathan was hung.

"You are the masked lady from Beacon Hospital; the one who abducted Jaune" Weiss announced menacingly "and killed those poor people."

"What, do you want me to atone for my sins, Ms. Schnee?" her voice was youthful and clear, but powerful determination laced her words. "They raised their weapons, so they should have been expecting the outcome."

"Like Jaune?" Yang asked. "What did he do; turned around on your feet in his coma? Oh, let me guess, you actually didn't care about that."

The mask tilted at its side a little before the girl replied "if you have any complains, talk them with Alizar. I am merely following the plan. And for the record I hate it as much as you."

"That makes me feel so better; you know what? If you hate this plan that much, then do something real about it. Tell us where this brother-of-a-bitch is and maybe we can call it even. I will even talk on your defense at the court."

"Betray my allies? Go to court?" she scoffed "you are getting ahead of yourself, Xiao Long." Yang took one step forward "looks like you know us; we don't know you however. Not that it-"

"Itazura. Cherry Itazura is my name" she then raised her weapon and turned around. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to; I have to find Ruby Rose."

Yang and Weiss' eyes opened wide at the declaration and the blonde charged "AS IF!" she screamed at the girl who jumped back away from Yang's landing.

Without wasting any time, Cherry thrust forward with her weapon. The speed of her repositioning and counterattack was so great; the brawler was forced to use her metal arm to grab the blade instead of avoiding it.

"Gah!" Yang gritted her teeth as she absorbed the impact. The girl kept pressing on, forcing the blonde to grab the oversized weapon with both arms. _I am getting pushed back? How strong is this chick?_

Weiss wasted no time in assisting her. Carving a path with her glyphs, she stepped behind Cherry and sliced in order to-

Suddenly both girls found themselves airborne. Yang got pushed away and landed on her back a few meters far from the mask-clad girl, while Weiss crashed on a nearby boat with a heavy thud.

Without even taking one step, the faunus flipped her weapon, splitting the handle in half, revealing a two-barreled shotgun. Not allowing Yang to recover, she started shooting at her.

The blonde rolled on the ground avoiding the first shot. The second was deflected by her metal arm and then she took one step forward, but was shot back from another one.

Weiss got up, her head throbbing. _What was that? Some sort of telekinesis?_

She shook her head and grabbed Myrtenaster once more. Yang was being peppered with gunfire, but that meant their enemy was focusing on her.

Silently, the Schnee created a time dilation glyph below her. A shooting glyph array was crafted behind her small frame. She changed the chamber to lighting dust, happily feeling Myrtenaster sizzle with energy.

Weiss took a deep breath. Lightning Stinger- the combination of gravity, dilation and lightning dust, was one of her best moves. Moving at the speed of sound, her enemy wouldn't even be able to realize what hit her, even more defend against it.

Yang suppressed a smile between her groans of pain as she saw Weiss lunge forward. Moving like a living thunderbolt, the ex-heiress covered the distance between her and Cherry in a heartbeat-

And then slammed on _something._ As soon as she entered the girl's range, Weiss felt a powerful repelling force withstanding her charge.

Weiss' thoughts were filled in helplessness as she felt her body freeze mid-air for one single second as the barrier absorbed all the kinetic force behind her attack.

And then the masked girl turned around towards her, opened her palm and Weiss was thrown away like a projectile. She felt her lips and face hurt as she rolled on the muddy ground.

An explosion from Ember Celica sent Yang on Cherry. She punched the girl's face, but she deflected it with the back of her pole arm. Yang kicked her legs, but suddenly found her body losing balance and falling forward.

_What is this? SO heavy! _The sensation immediately vanished, but Cherry had already moved. She performed a horizontal slice with her Naginata, aiming for Yang's neck.

The brawler didn't block. Instead, she shot a missile at her enemy's stomach. The impact shocked the faunus, forcing her a few meters away, while she used her blade to maintain her footing.

Yang shot three more missiles at her, but then Cherry raised her left arm and _the projectiles stopped midair_, before being flown away in all directions, showering the area around them with explosions.

"What the actual heck" Yang said panting. "Do you have a connection to Pyrrha somehow?" The mask didn't reply, but the girl was sure she could see a wide smile beneath the open jagged mouth of the Nuckelavee.

"It's not polarity" Weiss announced as she carefully stepped closer to her girlfriend. "She pinned you on the ground before and she tossed us around like we were light as feathers."

She looked at Cherry who merely shrugged her shoulders in a playful manner. "Plus she easily pushed away your missiles- I hope I am wrong but I think she can control gravity."

"Hehehehe..." the laughter was eerie and way too joyful for the situation and place they had found themselves in. If anything, their enemy seemed excited.

"Excellent, Ms. Schnee you are 100% right. My semblance is Gravitation. I can enhance or reduce the gravity attraction of a person or object around me at will."

She then turned to Yang "as for you, Ms. Xiao Long that was an impressive maneuver there. I was disappointed I couldn't find Ms. Rose, but allow me to apologize. You are both truly worthy and admirable opponents."

She then raised her weapon once more, her eyes gleaming behind the mask "I am enjoying this so much; I can't hold myself back any more."

"Here she comes" Yang said getting ready "what do we do?" Weiss narrowed her eyes "focus on fighting her and leave her semblance to me- I will give you the chances to strike at her, no matter what."

Cherry stretched her arm and a powerful surge of energy surrounded them. Weiss and Yang fell on the ground, the immense weight pinning them on spot as the faunus charged to them.

A black array pulsed beneath the blonde woman's legs and suddenly Yang was catapulted forward. She met Cherry midway, punching her face with all her might.

The masked woman barely managed to avoid the attack, but her concentration broke. Weiss jumped at her, using her glyphs to maneuver at her weak side, while her teammate spun around and jump kicked the Naginata out of her arms.

A groan of pain sounded as Myrtenaster sliced her arm, draining a good amount of aura. Yang flared her semblance and gut punched-

With unexpected speed the fox-girl punched Yang's stomach, instantly activating her semblance. Weiss managed to score a couple more hits on Cherry's back, but the impact shot the brawler away.

The ex-heiress shot forward and utilized an air glyph, slowing her lover's fall. Yang jumped on her feet and stood right next to Weiss a few feet away from their enemy who simply walked and retrieved her weapon.

"What a freaking monster" Yang said between gasps "her combat skill is as good as mine- and that punch really hurt."

Weiss readied her weapons as the mentioned girl eyed them in caution. "She has admirable control over her semblance too. In addition, she is not as tired as we are."

Cherry, on her part, was ecstatic. _They had immediately found a way to counter her semblance and even scored a few hits! Truly the members of team RWBY lived up to their reputation! _

She grinned widely, getting ready to attack once more- and was cut off by a loud, mechanical sound. It came from the sea and pierced through the night, echoing across the entire coast.

Weiss and Yang got confused, as the very familiar sound of a siren reached their ears. They looked at their enemy, who, even more confusingly, stowed her weapon away.

"Decided to give up?" the brawler asked, despite knowing there was no way that was the case. "I regret to say that, but our enjoyable battle must come to an end."

"What is that siren?" Weiss asked, glaring at their enemy. "It's the alarm system I have created in the coast. It means the night tide is coming; therefore let me give you one piece of advice."

Seeing her enemies not lowering their guard she continued "the superior predator in this place is neither the Anathema that your friends fought, nor the Fog. It is the sea of Grimmwater and the monsters it brings with it."

"Why are you telling us this?" the pale girl asked. "You are wonderful warriors and I would love to have a chance to fight you again. It would be a pity for you to die to the horrors of the deep."

She then scratched her head "plus, I don't think you will let me go unless you realize in how great danger you are; I advise you leave this place now and run to the village. Find a tall house and hide in its highest floor."

Without anything more to say, the girl turned around and started running. "Hey, wait-" Yang tried to go after her, but Weiss grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Snowpuff?" Cyan eyes narrowed as she released her. "Even if she is lying, I don't think it's a good idea to chase her. Let's do what she says and go find a place to hide. We can continue our search tomorrow morning."

Lilac orbs narrowed, but it took no more than a couple second for the tall girl to agree. Picking up their lamp from the ground, Yang and Weiss ran quickly to the village.

The tide came, and thankfully for both girls, they were not around to view the horrible forms it carried to land. The silent horde roamed the shore and then retreated back to the ocean depths, leaving only a wet trail in its wake.


	29. The Abandoned Village of Monsho

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? Chapter 29 is up! I hope you enjoy it. **

**I also wanted to say one more time, thank you so much for taking time to read Rise of The Eldergrimm. It reached 20 followers last week; something I never expected for my first story. I am grateful to all of you, even the ones who simply read it; you are all amazing! **

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The night had passed without any more incidents. Morning and the minuscule light it brought with fell once more on Grimmwater, slightly illuminating the island.

The abnormal humidity had also returned along with the grey vapors that engulfed the village, hugging the houses like a menacing, wet blanket of silence.

Until one of the mentioned houses' doors slammed open, allowing a young girl dressed in red step out, stretching her arms as she took a couple breaths.

"Wow, that's gloomy" Ruby exclaimed, rubbing the back of her neck with her bandaged arms, despite the itchiness it brought her. Her entire body was stiff from exhaustion and the atmosphere didn't help either.

However, she felt her spirits lifted. With Blake's help, she had managed to sleep at least a few hours and that had worked wonders for both her mind and her soul. If only her body could follow suit…

"It's even worse than yesterday" the faunus, dressed back in her normal clothing, walked next to her. "It feels as if we can swim through it."

"Yeah- it makes me feel like wrapping in cozy blanket with a carton of milk and a tray of cookies by the fire." Ruby took one more step forward and felt her boot nearly sink into the muddy ground.

"Say Blake; was the place like this when you brought me here?" she asked as she tried to kick the sticky substance off her footwear, to no avail.

Blake narrowed her eyes "no, it was muddy but not like this- I had no trouble walking on it." She moved trying to step on the most solid spaces, when her cat eyes spotted something weird.

The mud was not only very wet and sticky; it was also filled in scattered shells and small, round rocks- the ones one would normally find in a beach. Dark green leaves were scattered around, some even clinging on them.

"Now that's weird" she picked it up and examined it. It was a piece of… _algae?_ She turned to Ruby "there are sea shells and seaweed on the ground."

"That far from the coast?" Ruby asked in disbelief. "In Patch you have to get your feet wet to go sea-shell hunting!" she added. "Is it like this in Menagerie too?"

The black-haired girl nodded. "I think it is common sense in every coast Ruby." She put a couple of them in her pouch "so many weird things in this island, and we don't even know if they are important or not."

"Well" Ruby drew Crescent Rose and looked at her friend. "Let's do something we know for sure will be important, then. Let's go find some information."

"I agree, but where? If House Red maintained the place, they most likely are the ones who kept all archives and log books for the island. I doubt there is going to be any useful information in this place."

"I think there is one place we can search before that; you said the newspapers mentioned there were professional huntsmen at the village, right?"

Blake nodded "I did, yes. I am impressed you remember that." Ruby playfully winked "then there should be at least one small supply house and there is a possibility someone among them would keep a log book."

The faunus grabbed her chin between her thumb and index finger, thinking "you know what? You might be on to something here. Many professional huntsmen keep archives of their work, especially in remote places like this."

"Good then" the red-caped huntress smiled "let's see if we can find anything here; and then…" Blake looked at her "and then, what?"

Ruby let a great sigh escape her lips "and then we go to the mansion." "On our own? Didn't you say we should regroup first?"

"Time is passing and I believe the others will think to follow with our plan of saving Jaune if we spend at least one more day here; there is good chance of finding them there if they are around."

"And if they are hurt? Or…" yellow eyes looked away in worry. Ruby didn't turn back to look at her. She just gripped the handle of her scythe, her bandage-covered palms trembling in pain.

"I trust them to be fine. I really do. But if anything has happened to them… Eldergrimm or not…" she announced grimly "…I will tear this place to the ground."

-o—

Weiss cursed under her breath as the door she opened revealed three more skeletons- two of them of tragically small proportions. She flicked Crown and three little red sparks of dust lit up the old-looking lamp.

In the weak, mist-covered light of the dust, Weiss examined the room. It was an average children's room, with lots of once-colorful pictures and images decorating the walls.

She knelt next to the moldy bones "I am so sorry… I hope you are happy wherever you are…" and stopped to catch her breath when she turned one of them around.

She repeated the same motion with all three of them, the initial shock being replaced by confusion, and when realization dawned on her, pure, raw anger.

She stood there, kneeling in front of the three skeletons, each one with a large, round _bullet hole_ in their skulls, gritting her teeth in blazing fury, when Yang entered the room.

"The same thing up as in the previous three houses" the blonde said. "Both parents are dead and the place not even trashed- I even found some jewelry inside their cases."

"I found the children" her voice was filled in well-concealed emotion that Yang could easily detect. "They were murdered by someone who obviously knew how to use a gun" she got up and showed the blonde her findings.

A disgusted snorting sound was the tall woman's reply. "What sort of trash executes _children?!_" she added after a while. "The worst sort" Weiss turned around and looked at the wall where once happy photos were hung.

_Why would anyone do something like this_? She pondered as she gazed around the place, trying to suppress the urge to scream. But then her eyes fell on a strange mark on the wall; a black mark ascending the rotting wood up to the ceiling.

"These are the first ones we found with bullets in them, but it kind of explains why every corpse we found was in such a good state- Grimm didn't kill these people."

Yang's words barely reached the girl's ears as she followed the trail of the mysterious mark. It was large; actually it was so big, she had to take a few steps away to entirely view it.

She narrowed her brows in deep thought. The pattern occupied half the wall, having a pseudo-conical shape that became thinner as it moved upwards.

_It goes up… dyed the wall black… as if it… _"Hey is that a burn mark?" Yang's voice snapped Weiss out of her thoughts. "You think so?" she immediately asked her girlfriend.

"Well, it looks like the one we had in my old room back in Patch." A pair of cyan eyes opened wide as she turned her head in confusion.

"Very Long story, no need to know the details, baby. This is much bigger than ours, for the record."

"I… see" the pale girl replied before turning around "did you find anything else? Anything important- maybe something that could indicate Blake and Ruby were here?"

Yang's shoulders immediately dropped "tough luck, no. I only found another bottle of these weird Bromosomething pills. You know, the ones like Blake used to take."

"That makes it four out of four houses with an insomniac inside- definitely not normal" the ex-heiress replied. "Maybe that _Seamen Disease _was a much bigger deal than we first assumed."

"Is it important, though? Shouldn't we focus on finding Rubes and Blake first? They might leave this place if we waste too much time around here."

Weiss rolled her eyes "this is what we are doing, Yang. And yes, when we are investigating a hostile place with weird mutated Grimm and a nutcase wearing a Nuckelavee mask wandering around, _every_ piece of information is important."

Yang didn't reply and the petite woman continued "plus, if Ruby and Blake are in the village, it means they have only one place to go to; Red Mansion. We will go up there after we are done searching for them around here."

The blonde nodded meekly, making Weiss stop and look at her in worry "what's the matter, sweetie? Did I say something wrong? I am so-"

"Please swear you won't kill me when I tell Blake and Rubes you used the word 'nutcase' while describing another person."

Weiss' eyes flared in embarrassment as she pointed towards the front door in an angry manner. Deciding to not anger her emotionally overcharged lover even more, the brawler complied and left the building.

-o—

"You know Blake this is getting really annoying" Ruby groaned as she once more stepped on a puddle of mud, filling her clothes in large brown stains.

A few meters behind her, the cat girl simply shook her head. "There are not many things we can do. With such poor visibility we have to search slowly and steadily."

The brunette pouted but immediately started walking again. Without knowing the whereabouts of the huntsman outpost, Ruby had proposed the possibility of it being at the top of the village, for better monitoring of the area.

Blake wasn't so sure about it, but this sort of action would allow them to pass through most of the place anyway, so it had at least some merit. Even if they failed to find it, they would make a quick scouting of the place.

The only real problem was the dense fog; she hadn't gotten used to such poor visibility and the situation unnerved her a little. The continuous silence, disrupted only by her team leader's complains, didn't help too.

"It can't be helped- we even climbed on a rooftop to try and get better view." Ruby deflated "yeah...and I was so proud of this idea too..." she whined, earning a sincere smile from the faunus.

They walked a little while, passing by abandoned moldy houses, only occasionally stopping to check. The results however were all the same; remains of murdered humans and an alarming amount of sleeping pills.

Both of them couldn't quite ascertain how much time had passed, when Blake saw a small change in the scenery- a dark, immovable shape the size of a human. She pointed it towards Ruby who nodded before moving forward.

What the faunus had spotted, apparently, was nothing more than a park. As they walked in, Ruby felt the pleasant sensation of sturdier ground under her feet, and let off a small satisfied sound.

Blake's immovable object turned out to be a tree trunk. It was black and charred, even mold barely forming on its surface. She traced it with her fingers; it was totally carbonized despite the humidity.

A few meters away, the red-caped girl stared at a tall object. It seemed familiar to her, with two reverse V-shaped posts connected together by a long metal bar.

She moved closer, managing to see a few rotten ropes hanging from the bar, seemingly cut in various heights. She moved even closer-

"OW!" and screamed in pain as her foot hit something very, very hard, well-concealed on the ground, behind the fog blanket. "Are you ok, Ruby?" Blake, visible under the tree corpse, shouted in worry.

"Yes, I am fine, sorry! I just hit-" she knelt over the object. It was a small mass of rotten planks and metal bars- shaped like a child-sized chair. "-the remains of a swing" she finished, rubbing her throbbing toe.

"A swing? I guess it makes sense. I just found an old bench here." The faunus walked next to her, as Ruby moved forward. They slowly advanced with weapons in hand, only to find another object coming out of the mist.

This time it was a rotating platform, very simply designed, with once-colorful pictures drawn over it and red bars, now rusted and nearly falling apart. It had fallen down its axis, its left side deeply buried in the ground and covered in leaves and fungi.

"A merry-go-round" the younger girl said. "This is truly a children's playground." Blake's eyes narrowed as she examined the broken ride. "I really hope we find no clues here" she exclaimed sadly.

"I agree..." Ruby walked forward, weapon always in hand, as her silver eyes caught sight of something much larger. She froze at first, but as she took one more step, identified the nostalgic outlines of a slide, momentarily smiling.

"That brings back memories" she told her teammate. "Does it?" Blake asked a little confused. "Well, Patch had only one slide in the park and we always fought for it with the other children."

She giggled at the fond memory "Yang would always win and then let me go first and even do three slides before she allowed anybody else to come by."

"Sound like Yang, yes" Blake nodded in amusement. "What about you? Did you like slides as a kid?" The yellow-eyed girl sighed "I… didn't have enough chances to go to such a place."

Ruby realized her mistake in asking a little too late "owie...sorry about that." However the faunus brushed it off "it's fine, Ruby. No need to make a deal out of it."

Before the silver-eyed girl could reply, however, she saw Blake freeze. "Do you smell that?" she asked her team leader, who replied by sniffing the air.

"It smells heavy… and metallic… iron?" Ruby scrunched her nose in confusion. "Yes- and it definitely isn't the rust. The smell wasn't here before."

Cat ears twitched as a faint sound entered the area. The smell started to become stronger. Mixed with the natural musty odor of the place and the thickness of the fog, it was a very disgusting feeling.

Ruby cocked her rifle, and stood with her back on the slide. The sound grew, becoming more distinct, as if coming closer. It was a loud, heavy sound of-

Blake's face became white in horror, as she felt one of her greatest fears resurface. The sound was a heavy, hungry growling- accompanied by the _baying of a pack of hounds._

"Shit" Ruby hissed under her breath. She knew very well that Blake's fear of domesticated dogs, like the adorable Zwei, was mostly her own exaggeration and stubbornness.

Her fear of wild dogs, on the other hand, was a totally realistic and very bad issue. "Are you-" she asked, seeing her friend grab her sword handle.

"If it is Grimm, I will be fine" the answer came as the growls became louder. "If they are normal, living wild dogs, we are running out of here."

Ruby nodded in agreement; she wasn't eager to fight animals herself too, even if her reasons might have been different than Blake's. She quickly reached out to her backpack, picking a thin metal tube out of it.

The baying and growling grew louder, as their enemies grew closer. They were on high alert now, expecting them to appear at any moment… and suddenly both huntresses found themselves surrounded.

Without any indication, dozens of red eyes at once appeared in the mist around them. Blake held her breath and Ruby gasped as she tried to take in the information. _How did they- I should have at least sensed them coming so close!_

The growling continued, as the red dots stared hungrily. Faint baying echoed in the distance, causing even more of them to appear. Red filled their vision; a gleaming wall of hatred and malice peeking at them through the fog.

Ruby took action, with inhuman speed and accuracy. She shot one between her eyes- and stood confused as she saw her bullet passing though the place where the head should be, the eyes vanishing without any sign of impact.

"Did I get it?" she asked, earning no answer. The red dots grew closer, a few of them sneaking up to the pair from behind. The sound of metal cogs spinning was barely registered by them.

Her body tense in anticipation and fear, Blake sliced backwards with Nightfall, slicing through the mist. She felt no resistance as her blades cut through empty air, the gleaming eyes disappearing without any trace.

But still, the growling grew. The pair's hearing got repeatedly assaulted by the sound of teeth gnashing and jaws screeching. The hateful, malevolent eyes returned, growing closer with every-

Three loud, metal '_clank!' _sounds disrupted their advance. Ruby turned around to her friend, who was trembling in tension- and winked at her. Blake saw the safety mechanisms cock in place as the gun's engine roared with power.

"Follow me!" the girl smiled as Gatling Rose flared in action. Using air instead of fire dust, Ruby opened fire at the horde of advancing Grimm, showering them in blasts.

She didn't have to aim at all. Using the power from the mechanism, combined with high-grade SDC dust vials, each blast created a small whirlwind resulting in a literal tornado fired from her weapon.

Ruby ran forward, Blake on tow. She used her weapon's power to clear off the fog, as both of them ran down towards the buildings. Three sets of eyes that tried to pray at her were swiftly dispatched by the faunus.

After a few meters, when she made sure all enemies were behind them, Ruby stopped. She turned around, grabbed Blake, and burst forward in a black and red spiral of petals.

Blake held tight, the sensation of Ruby's high-speed burst running through her veins. She didn't know how much time had passed when they stopped and her friend let her on the ground.

"Are we-" she tried to say, before a very different kind of scream assaulted her ears once more. "YANG!" Ruby's cheerful voice echoed in the village as a red and golden burst collided with each other.

"OHMYGODYOUAREOK!IWASOSWORRIED!IAMSOGLADYOUAREFINE!" "Geez, Rubes, I am happy to see you too, but please get off me! Rubes are you listening? Rubes, there is mud all over my hair! RUBES GET OFF ME NOW!"

Blake let off a small laugh at the sisters' antics before helping them both get up. "Hello, Blakey! Good to see your pretty face well too! I knew it was Rubes' weapon when I heard it!"

"It's good to see you in high spirits as well, Yang, but we have to go! We-" "I know" she cut her off "we heard everything." Blake tilted her head "we?'

"Yes, we" an annoyed voice came down from above them, as a large white Nevermore descended, breaking through the mist, with Weiss riding on its back. "Unless you forgot about me already, Belladonna."

Before anyone could answer the pale girl's humorous accusation, the faint sound of growls filled the area. Baying and screeching followed after it.

"Everyone, board Weiss-express, now!" Yang screamed even as her teammates hopped above the Nevermore. The summoned Grimm flapped its wings and team RWBY soared through the cloud and up into the sky.

"So, where to?" the ex-heiress asked as the rose above the dense mist. All three of her passengers suppressed an awed gasp as they saw the thick fog bank spread below them as a carpet, the screams of their enemies still being heard from within.

"I wanted to check the huntsmen outpost logs before we try to go after Alizar" Ruby replied, making the cyan-eyed beauty smile. "You are in luck."

She pointed towards the edge of the village, where the roof of a tall building was barely visible above the gray cloud. "We were looking for it as well- hoped we would find you there" Yang explained.

"Let's go then!" Ruby cheerfully announced, as the Grimm carefully started its descent.

-o-

The heavy smell of blood, iron and copper was the first thing that came to Cherry's nose. The growls and baying of wild mongrels followed soon after.

_You have to be kidding me!_ She groaned in anger as she removed her mask. The fog surrounding her was as thick as ever, now dozens of hungry red eyes swarming the area, ready to feast on her tender flesh.

The predators jumped at her. She neither grabbed her weapon, nor activated her semblance. There was no need to, after all. She simply pressed two delicate fingers on her Leviathan medallion.

_**Kneel. For this is the might of your Progenitor; and I am His humble retainer! **_

Green light burst through the pendant, pulsing and immediately purging all the monsters lurking inside the fog. The wave annihilated all traces of Grimm around her and then vanished, before her emerald, shining eyes.

"You are in deep shit, revenge-obsessed freak! I hope you have a very good explanation about this!" she hissed as she turned around and started walking towards the mansion.

* * *

**P.S. Due to me finally going on a vacation, next update will most likely be on Friday 22/11, instead of Wednesday 20/11. Until then, I hope you are having fun and are as much excited with volume 7 as I have been so far! **


	30. Regrouping and Planning

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? As I promised, Chapter 30 is up with only two days delay XD**

**Jokes aside, I hope you all enjoy it! Next one will be on Wednesday 27th, as usual. Thank you again for following and favoring, or for just reading it!**

* * *

Alizar had a mere second to react before the library door slammed open. A furious Cherry strode in the room, throwing her mask on the ground before she raised her arm.

The gravitational pulse from her semblance smashed the boy's rock wall in smithereens, allowing her to slam him on the ground. Before he could even react, she sat on his belly, green eyes staring at him in fierce hatred.

"Wow, I would say this position is very appealing, if you were not seething with killing intent" he smiled, seemingly unfazed by the situation.

"You have only one chance to explain to me what the fuck was that stunt you pulled." To his credit, he didn't gulp, nor flinch. He merely smiled even deeper.

"Didn't we agree on me trying to give Azure's concoction a shot? I would say it turned out pretty well" he chuckled, pointing at the circle. The green light had stopped pulsing, but the thick, viscous goo was still spread all over it.

"I managed to control the pulsing magic seeping out of Avyssos that permeates the entire island and shape it to my will. If anything, that gives us even more-"

His voice got cut off as a lean, soft arm grabbed his mouth. The faunus' pink lips got closer to him, as she bent over his body, locking her pulsing eyes on his- a very enticing image that would steal the breath away from many men.

But Alizar knew better than this; Cherry didn't have a single erotic bone in her body. The only reason he could imagine her kissing him would be to bit his tongue off- something not very unlikely at the current situation.

"And since when was you testing this while I am outside and compromised part of the plan, you soon-to-be Grimm food?" she whispered menacingly "unless… you intended of getting rid of me the only way you could think."

He scowled. This girl was truly intimidating, true, but… "Do you really give me that little credit? Sending Grimm to take down _you_, of all people? I am not stupid, Cherry- I would have a better chance poisoning your water."

"I would never accept food or water from you" she spat her words as if throwing them away. "Exactly" he merely said, still calm and composed.

A few seconds passed, without the girl getting off him, or finishing him off. Alizar took it as his chance to continue "if you can't trust me- which is very wise- then trust on the fact this is the worst time for me to pull this off."

Cherry's grip lessened "I have been planning this for years, Cherry. It is the sole reason I joined the cult to begin with! Why would I do something that stupid now, of all times, when my revenge is just a few hours away?"

The faunus' gleaming hatred vanished from her eyes and she stood up after a few seconds. "If you are telling the truth, it means you can't still control the power. Which means it needs more testing."

She offered him her hand and, visibly surprised, he took it. "I am telling the truth; honestly, I didn't even realize the Grimm went after you until I heard your chanting."

She knelt and picked up the mask from the floor. "Then, as I said, it needs more testing. Azure will not like such an explanation" she eyed him in suspicion "please tell me you didn't spend the entire barrel?"

"As if- only three cups were used. I transferred the rest to the altar, along with Jaune Arc's body. I erected another barrier there too- just as you instructed."

An eyebrow rose, before the faunus closed her eyes and sighed. "I suppose a 'well done' is in order. You saved me a lot of work and I have been exhausted."

"Not even an apology for nearly strangling me?" he grinned widely. "Don't push your luck, boy. Intentional or not, the one at fault for the attack was you" she replied, eyes narrowed.

"I guess I can accept that" he replied back, his voice not losing the carefree tone. "So what happened down there? Did you not find Rose? Or did she escape your skills?"

"I fought Schnee and Xiao Long. They are good; much stronger than I expected them to be." The man smirked "did they force you to retreat?" "No, but they forced a draw until the tide came."

The smirk vanished from his lips. His father's words, spoken to him in this very library, flashed through his mind. "_There is only one apex predator in the island my boy. The ocean. Respect it, for you are always in its mercy."_

"Then I can't even joke to you. Did you notice _them?" _he asked the girl who nodded. "Yes. And as you observed, the waters are going even deeper in the land every night. They reached up to the village's north end yesterday."

Ok, that was bad. It was good for their plans, but very alarming for his. "Is the barrier around the mansion still standing?" he asked. "If not, we will have to-"

"The barrier is fine and standing. Schnee and Xiao Long failed to pierce it already. I am positive it will stand for at least two more days."

"That's good. It also means team RWBY now knows they can't enter the mansion. Which means they will try to enter the mansion" he stared at the girl "and we both know the only way to do so is from the tunnels" she finished for him.

His grin returned "and with the tide rising, they are as good as dead the moment they step inside the underground passage- well, that's a bad thing. You may have to help our sacrifices survive."

He stared at the woman who simply rolled her eyes and turned around to leave "no need to. The women I fought will not die like this; if they did they wouldn't be worthy sacrifices after all."

"Stop giving them so much credit" he flatly exclaimed "you are pissing me off." A small chuckle was his only answer "that's a good thing, then. I am going in the pond to have a bath."

She opened the door when his voice made her stop. "Don't come back here afterwards- go to the temple at once and start the preparations." She turned around to face him "and what will you do?"

Alizar's face twisted in a vicious parody of a smile "you had your chance to capture Rose; now it's my turn."

-o-

"So, an energy barrier?" Blake asked Weiss as the latter patted her Nevermore in the head before dismissing it. "And it covers the entire region around the mansion?"

They were standing in front of the outpost's broken door, a few meters away from Yang who was sternly lecturing her little sister about her late behavior. Said sister provided no resistance, calmly and proudly accepting the verbal punishment.

"A pretty powerful one, yes. It spreads for quite the few kilometers and is very resistant. We tried three times to pierce through it with no success" the ex-heiress replied.

They waited for a while, chatting again over the information they had already exchanged, until they saw Yang finish her preaching. Immediately after that, Ruby jumped at her sister and both girls hugged fiercely, crying softly at each other's arms.

"Those two are so..." Weiss said, looking at them. A fond smile was spread all over her face "...stupid" she blinked her forming tears away. "You miss her, don't you?"

Weiss blushed in embarrassment. The comforting words and the sense of her faunus friend tenderly rubbing her shoulder were so much reminding her of her sister. "I haven't visited Win in a long time."

Blake solemnly closed her eyes "If you want to visit Atlas, I would gladly accompany you two when all this is over; if you are ok with me, that is."

Pale slender fingers hugged the back of her glove-covered palm. "You don't have to make it sound so formal; you know how fond of you Winter was. The only one who might complain will be Yang for not having me all her own."

Blake giggled before they broke their gesture "then we should tell Ruby too. She admired your sister a lot." Weiss nodded "she truly was a marvelous wom-"

"YOU ARE DEAD, RUBES!" the gentle atmosphere crashed down, as quickly as Yang got up from the mud and started chasing her sister around. The Checkmate duo rolled their eyes as the shouts turned into wild laughter.

"You two! Maybe you should, I don't know, take it a little more serious-" Weiss was cut off again as her partner burst past her and stopped in front of the broken door. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" she then stepped in.

"I am going to kill them. Both of them" the platinum-haired huntress groaned in an exasperated manner to the amusement of her teammates.

"Well, that's definitely not what I expected" Yang's voice announced as she entered the outpost. Ruby was standing in front of her, equally confused, trying to understand the implications behind what she was looking at.

The outpost was nothing more than a two-storey house with an outside emergency ladder and a small watchtower on top. It was large enough for at least four people to live in and despite the mold covering its exterior seemed to be in an overall good shape.

But, when the sisters entered inside, they were overwhelmed by the sheer _emptiness _of the building.

The main hall, large enough to be used probably as a living room, was totally empty of anything. No furniture, no equipment, nothing- just four empty walls surrounding thin, musty air and a fungus-covered floor.

Their teammates joined them and soon enough they had searched the entire establishment. Two rooms on the top floor, the watchtower, the small cellar, the little room next to the main hall- everything was the same.

"Even the bathroom is empty" Yang said as she helped Blake barricade the front door. "Forget finding logs, there is no trace of people ever living here to begin with!" Weiss added, seated next to Ruby.

"Maybe… they all left at some point?" the scarlet-tipped girl asked. "And took even the curtains with them?" her sister half-joked "not even dad loves his household accessories that much."

"I think it's safe to assume this building was built with the intention of becoming an outpost" Blake asked while she sat down between Ruby and Yang "and the island's huntsmen simply never had the chance to use it."

"Well, weird as it might be, the question is simple- what now?" the blonde asked. "We have no clues about this place and the barrier keeps us away from getting to the Red Mansion where Vomit Boy is probably held."

"We will think of something" Ruby replied. "But while we are doing this, get some rest everyone. There is no reason to keep on wasting our stamina any more running around the place" she got up.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked her. "To get some air at the watchtower- and to keep an eye for Grimm." Yang tried to object but Ruby smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I promised; no stupid stuff! I will just be a lookout!" Weiss raised an eyebrow "but you should rest too; you were pretty hurt. Isn't that right, Blake?"

She turned around- and saw the faunus had already fallen asleep, her back on the wall. Her chest was softly moving as a slow, cute sound escaped her lips. Yang got up and covered her with her jacket.

"Rubes is right" she yawned. "We could all use some good rest- we have barely slept since we came here and I can't even count how many days have passed."

"Possibly two" Weiss said. "But… I feel tired too. Maybe we should really get some sleep, after all." Ruby giggled "that's the spirit! I will wake you up in a few hours when I find the way to storm the mansion of evil!"

The couple shared an eye roll before Yang sat down and covered her face with her hat, as Weiss snuggled in her lap. Satisfied, Ruby added an ice dust vial behind the door as a trap and then rushed up to her guard.

-o-

_Maybe if I overload Yang with fire dust and have Weiss shoot her at the barrier? No, Yang would have thought of it already. Maybe it is an Atlesian build and has weak points between the layers... _

Seated at the top of the watchtower, with minimum visibility, Ruby discarded idea #23 from her mind. _This is bad_… she thought. _Is this why they called us here? To have us watch outside the barrier while they kill Jaune? No, there has to be more than that…hopefully._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone climbing up the stairs. She turned her gaze to the staircase and saw a pair of cyan eyes looking at her.

"Hey Weiss! Slept well?" The alabaster girl nodded "yes, thank you. Did you rest at all?" She smiled in embarrassment "not really; I am trying to come up with a plan. And have failed magnificently."

Weiss took a seat next to her "I may have an idea, to be honest." The brunette shot up from her position and stared at her partner intently "tell me!"

"I actually woke up an hour ago" Weiss said. "And, since I didn't want to interrupt anyone, I decided to take a good look at this" she showed Ruby an old, dusty-looking notebook."

"This is the Red siblings' diary you told me about, isn't it?" she asked while running over the pages. "Yes- a small diary they made to recount the days they spent playing in the lighthouse with the poor keeper."

As the reaper's bandaged fingers ran through the pages, she stopped. A small photo was strapped on one of the pages. Its color was washed away and parts of it were lost to the humidity, but-

Silver eyes narrowed sadly. A young boy with long jet curly hair and black eyes and another one, red-haired with bright amber eyes, were hugging a taller girl in the middle.

She was young, barely a teenager, with short black hair and shining amber eyes. Her red lips were curved in a bright smile, shining as the sun behind her. She wore a lacy one-piece scarlet dress that reached to her ankles.

"To our sister who will be the best huntress in the world" Ruby said, despite half the letters have been washed away. "We… love you sis" Weiss added.

"I had my suspicions, but seeing this is just…" the red-clad girl exclaimed. "Looks like before life hit her, Elia Red was a kind big sis; not unlike Yang and Winter- at least to her brothers" Weiss added once more.

Fingers slightly trembling, Ruby closed the book "is this what you wanted to show me?" "No" her partner answered. "The entire notebook is merely a list of the things those three children did and wanted to do- a diary of hopes and wishes for the future."

She cleared her throat before continuing "however, there are two things that picked my interest. The first one has to do with Charlotte Red- their mother."

"About her illness?" Weiss nodded "at some point all three of them write their wishes about their mother's soul to rest in heaven- but that's it." Silver eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, that's it?"

"I mean at one point those three children wrote down their wishes to their deceased mother, even though up to this point, even two days before, there is not even one mentioning of her illness at their diary- in fact, they are talking about going on a trip with her."

"That's weird..." Ruby thought. "Yes, it is. But even this is not the important part; it's just food for thought and another weird mystery. What I wanted to show you has to do with the gold coming out of this island."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, before Weiss elaborated. "At many times, Elia and Alizar speak about running away from the mansion to play in the ocean. Care to guess how they sneaked away from their father?"

"Hmmmm… through the forest?" the brunette was at loss. What was Weiss trying to say? She both liked and hated when her partner was in a playful mood- which was any time she knew something Ruby didn't. Which happened quite a lot.

"No." She opened the diary and showed a small, hand-written map at the last page. It showed a not very accurate depiction of the village, with quite a few houses marked with a bright 'X'.

"It appears Octavios Red had dug a few tunnels from his refinery in the bottom of his mansion down to the harbor in order to quickly transport the gold. And, as standard protocol requests, had constructed a few safety exits along their path.

"The marked houses..." Ruby's eyes lit in recognition. "Do you see any house among them that looks familiar?" Weiss gave her a self-satisfied smirk.

"Weiss, you are a genius!" she burst forth and hugged her best friend tightly. "You are incredible! Now we can go below the barrier!" The pale girl returned the hug. "Exactly- which I assume is what Alizar expects us to do."

"Well, the entire mission is us walking into a trap to begin with. It's better now that we know they are expecting us" Ruby said. "Let's wake up Blake and Yang- it's time to bring the fight to their doorstep!"


	31. Under the Ground

**Hello everyone how are you doing? I hope you are all enjoying vol. 7 as much as I do so far. **

**Chapter 31 is here; I hope you enjoy it. Thanks once more for reading, favoring and following. Have fun! **

* * *

The half-rotten cellar door almost fell apart as Yang pushed it open. She raised her lamp and entered, followed by the rest of the team. "It is as empty as before" she announced.

"Start searching for any traces of trapdoors or-" "found it!" Blake's voice cut off Ruby's command, making all of them run towards the raven-haired beauty.

She was kneeling on the ground, her glove-covered fingers having traced a small line through the mold. "How did we miss it when we first checked here?" she asked.

"Well" Yang knelt next to her, using her metal arm to extend the opening her partner had created "I didn't check out for hidden passages to be honest." When the line became large enough, she pushed her fingers in it and pulled with all her might.

"Grrr, this thing is stuck! I will have to wash my arm after tha-" the sound of wood scratching on stone cut her off, as her efforts paid off and the trap door opened wide, exposing them to a dark, deep opening.

And a murky, nauseating smell of decay accompanying it. "Gah! What is this?" Blake's nostrils burnt down to the point she seriously considered them being damaged as she jumped away from the putrid smell.

"I have never smelled something that bad- and I have tasted Ruby's home cooking!" Weiss screamed as she pulled a half-dazed Yang away from the gateway to rotting hell.

"I am sure my food smelled better than this" was the only thing the accused girl said before gulping down a mouthful of water. "This is even worse than the smell of corpses!"

After a few minutes of recomposing themselves, not without the utilization of some very colorful and intense verbal complains, a reluctant team RWBY gathered next to the atrocious gate.

"Ok, it is as dark as it goes" Ruby announced, after repeatedly failing to notice anything inside the opening. "Which means we have to investigate; Blake, if you please."

Three sets of eyes turned around to Blake who had never been so hateful of her faunus heritage before. "I am sure this is profiling in many regions" she bitterly said.

"Well, we are not in any of them to begin with" Yang joked.

"For the record, I feel for you" Weiss replied, giving her a handkerchief as she flipped her fingers and a floating platform appeared on the opening.

Blake stepped on the glyph, holding her breath as much as possible; the smell was sickeningly sweet and engulfed her even before the ex-heiress started lowering the array.

But even that was nothing in comparison to the assault her nostrils suffered as soon as her head got lower than the ceiling. She reflexively closed her eyes, trying to muster some strength to focus her mind.

It smelled of rotten fish, mixed with the aroma of an ocean long dead and the sweet odor of decompose. In other words, it was plainly horrible. She opened her eyes, trying to hold her breath as much as possible until she could adjust to it.

"Are you ok, Blakey?" Yang's scarf-covered head peeked at her from the trap door, visibly worried. "The smell is even worse here- I can't even describe how bad it is!" she replied, before taking a look around.

"The tunnel is indeed here" she said after a few minutes. "It's not very tall and made of stone" She opened her lamp "I would say around 4 meters high and five or six wide."

She pointed the lamp to the ground- and immediately regretted it. "The entire place is covered in fungus and the floor is filled with rotting fish" she said in disgust. "There are some old mine rails here, half rotten and slimy."

Three disgusted groans followed hers. "Anything else?" Ruby shouted from above. "No, I don't see anything else of importance" she replied. "Good, we are coming down."

The platform got dismissed and Blake gracefully jumped to the ground. Her teammates followed soon enough, the light from Weiss' sword and Ruby's torch joining hers.

"My God, it truly is horrible" Weiss' face took a horrified expression "I will burn my boots after we return home. And then I will burn the incinerator" she emphasized.

"All right; let's get going" Ruby announced. "The sooner we get to the mansion, the sooner we are out of here." She turned to the north and lit up the path- it was slightly uphill and as unwelcoming as the rest of the place.

In addition… "Is it just me, or is this place kind of hazy?" she asked. "Well, the atmosphere is kinda heavy; and there is something that feels kind off around here" Yang said. "It's the smell and mustiness- the ceiling is practically dripping. It makes us dizzy" Blake explained.

"Well, we will get used to it. If anything, we have the map for emergency exits to help us leave" Weiss said as she turned around to adjust her backpack on her-

Her breath caught up on her throat. It was only for a moment that the murky, hazy atmosphere changed. But in that moment, she saw the figure of a tall, white-haired woman with stern blue eyes looking at her.

And then the moment passed and Weiss blinked. There was no one here. _Of course she isn't here! What the Dust, Schnee! Pull yourself together!_

"Snowpuff? I everything alright?" she turned around. Yang had walked next to her and was now looking at her in worry. Blake and Ruby were standing up right behind the blonde, same worried expressions on their faces.

"Yeah, sorry… this place must have gotten to me. I thought for a moment I saw Winter back there" she said bitterly, shaking her head.

Yang's hair stood on edge and Ruby's worried face became more intense. Blake walked past them and checked the south part of the tunnel "there is no one here- thankfully I will add."

"I must be getting all sentimental- how unbecoming" the pale girl murmured before shooting a confident smile at her girlfriend. "Its fine- it was just a passing thought" she exclaimed.

Yang raised an eyebrow but nodded in acceptance. "Lead the way, Rubes. I will keep rear guard, if that's okay with you baby- no sexual puns intended." Ignoring her sister's attempt at humor, the reaper turned around and started leading them forward.

Yang hesitated for a moment and looked around as if trying to remember something, but after Weiss started walking she dismissed her thoughts and followed suit.

-o-

"We can't go on like this" Ruby groaned. It had been nearly two hours since they had started walking and the situation was becoming more and more dire every passing minute.

Her eyes were burning and she was sure her nose would have already been permanently damaged. And she didn't even want to get started on her stomach.

But these were not even the worst part, no. The most horrible thing that had happened to them down here was the hallucinations.

At first, they had dismissed it as a mere trifle due to the over-stimulating atmosphere. But they kept on nagging them, becoming more vivid, more intense and much more frequent the further the girls delved inside the tunnel.

The reaper bit her lips as the amber-eyed visage vanished behind a thick yellow miasma. She took a deep breath, took a sip of water to wash the bile off and turned around to her team.

Weiss was sniffing next to Yang. The tall blonde seemed to be at the best condition among them, gently supporting her girlfriend while Weiss was murmuring and sobbing.

"I have accepted it long ago...why do they have to shove her into my face like that?" Weiss whimpered, allowing Yang to rub her back. "Its ok baby… you are strong. I know you are."

Blake on the other hand stoically stood near the wall, observing the strange flora for the umpteenth time this evening. "How are you doing, Blake?" She didn't turn around, but she answered nonetheless.

"It may sound macabre, but I have gotten used to dreaming of Sun getting hurt at this point" she replied trying to be as comforting as possible. "And I will die before I let my fears endanger any of you again."

Ruby and Yang exchanged smiles of approval and even Weiss reacted to that, kindly dismissing the tall girl's helping hands. "Way to go Blake; now I feel totally pathetic for breaking down like this."

"What? That wasn't what I meant!" she replied, but Weiss shook her head and wiped her tears away "I know- but it did the trick. Thanks." "You… are welcome?" the faunus looked back at her, confused.

"Well, if everything is settled let's continue!" Ruby said. "Are you sure you don't want to rest a little, Weiss? I mean, we could stop for a few minutes or something."

"To be fair, the only thing I want is to get away from these rotting fish as soon as possible" she pinched the bridge of her nose "this smell is so putrid, I can't-"

"That's it!" Yang's voice cut off Weiss' complains. "That's what bothered me all this time!" Three sets of eyes stared at her outburst before she explained. "How did so many fish get here? We are hundreds of meters away from the sea!"

Blake raised her eyebrows "she does have a point, come to think of it. That much fish is truly unnatural." Ruby scratched her head "Maybe they stored them here?" "They are too fresh, Rubes."

"Oh my Dust!" it was the ex-heiress' time to scream. "Winter again?" Yang turned to her, but Weiss didn't reply. Instead, she took out the children's diary and skimmed through the pages until she found the one she wanted.

"Robus Red wrote" she announced in a panting voice "_we used Dad's tunnels to go to the lighthouse. He made them to easily move gold from the mine to the harbor."_

"They communicate with the ocean; we knew that already" Ruby commented. "Are you a dolt, you dunce? _The tide_, Ruby! This is why this place is filled in rotting fish and fungi- it gets submerged with the tide- how foolish we were to miss it!"

Nobody answered- nobody had to. The implications of what Weiss was saying were so dreadful, words escaped them. But that lasted only for a few moments.

"Do we know when the tide comes?" "Late at night!" "Does anyone know what time is it?" "SHUT UP AND CALM THE DUST DOWN!" Ruby's voice erupted above everyone else.

Silver eyes narrowed in determination as her team stopped, realizing their folly and trying to compose themselves. "Weiss, I want you to close the tunnel behind us. Do you have enough earth dust to do it?"

The pale girl nodded in acknowledgment and moved backwards, drawing Myrtenaster. "We are sealing ourselves in, Rubes" Yang commented. "We will use any emergency exit available- Weiss' wall will buy us enough time."

Ruby turned around, took a large breath once more, ignoring the burning stench of the hissing smokes and the taunting images lurking between the hallucinations of her mind.

"Let's pick up the pace, team! And no stopping; if anyone feels bad, tell me. I will have Yang carry her. That means you are not allowed to faint, sis."

"Worst motivational speech ever" the alabaster huntress, having just finished blocking the tunnel, said. "It doesn't matter, LET'S GO!" Ruby screamed, undeterred, before once more marching across the rotting carpet.

-o-

For many years after the events of that night, any time the girls would be asked about what exactly transpired inside the decaying tunnels of death, they would answer vaguely and in an unsure manner.

Weiss would emphasize on the intensity of the rotting fish smells that made any sort of imprinted memory difficult. Yang would talk about the threat of drowning looming over their heads as they pressed forward.

Blake and Ruby would describe the uneasiness of the misty yellow spores that created cloud of wicked images in the air; hateful eyes playing all over the lights of their lamps.

They would often describe their own part of the story, missing facts and mashing memories together, as their sense of time and continuity was totally messed up from the hours they had spent inside the bowels of the earth.

All of them however would agree on one thing; at some point after Weiss had sealed the entrance behind them, they heard the sound of water flooding the tunnel and crashing on stone.

They stood in the middle of the pass, in total silence, holding their breaths. Unknowingly, all four of them had reacted by doing the same thing; try and listen to any breach in the stone wall that kept them safe at the moment.

Few dramatic minutes passed by, when the absence of running water sounds allowed them to relax. "That took years off my life" Yang exclaimed. "Yes, but let's continue- we don't know how much time we have until it-"

Ruby's voice was caught in her throat as another sound disrupted her. It was not the echoing of crashing waves; nor was it the sound of running water. It was a fast-paced, heavy bumping sound originating from behind them.

"What is this?" Weiss asked in a worried voice. "It's a non-rhythmical sound… and heavy… bashing?" Blake replied. "It's like someone is slamming a wall or-"

The faunus didn't finish, as all of them realized what she was saying. "Time to make a run for it!" their leader screamed before they dashed forward.

"I will try to scout ahead for the exit!" a red burst of petals was heard as she vanished forward. "Be careful will you?" Yang answered, despite knowing her sister had already gotten out of range.

"Who would try and break a flooded passage?" she then screamed from the back of their flank. "_What_ is the question, not who" Weiss answered, not breaking her sprint.

"Keep your energy for running will you?" Blake shouted, not receiving any response. She jumped over a pile of rotten flesh, avoiding sliding on it.

Yang slammed the mass of putrid filth away, clearing the path for the freezerburn pair. Weiss dashed forward, trying to keep up with the most physically powerful members of her team.

Not that they would ever leave her behind, of course, but she would hate to see them getting delayed because of her. She already had wasted enough time by stopping now and then because of the hallucinations.

The slamming sounds kept on, becoming more and more frequent and powerful. There was no doubt at this point that _something_ was trying to smash her barrier- and she definitely didn't want to meet it down here.

They ran for a few more minutes, the constant bumping cracking their nerves, when the sound of cracking filled their ears. The mortifying sound of running water followed suit.

The ex-heiress immediately felt something on her shoulder and turned around- only to see a wave of petals floating in the air and Ruby running next to her, a serious look on her face.

"There is an exit ahead, but you must go faster. Yang; take care of Blake. I will carry Weiss" she said and grabbed her partner's waist. Weiss didn't even try to object as the world became a blur, sending both of them forward.

A single look was all it took for the other pair to process the plan. Yang grabbed an orange shard from her pocket and gritted her teeth. She hated using this, despite the obvious advantages.

But now was definitely not the time to chicken out. She pressed the hard, sharp crystal on her palm, pain wracking her very skin as she forcibly activated her semblance.

Energy surrounded her body. Of course, there was nobody there to ditch damage to, but the temporary boost of power from the dust wracking her skin, combined with the lightning dust was more than enough.

Yang sped up, ran forward and took Blake with her while passing by. She then started accelerating, trying her best to outrun the running flood hunting them.

Was she gaining distance? Was she losing? She couldn't understand and quite frankly couldn't do anything about it. She kept running as fast as possible, her partner hugging her tightly.

"Yang, over here!" She stopped and looked up. A few meters above the ground was an open trap door with a broken ladder. Ruby and Weiss were looking at them from behind it.

Yang let go of Blake and the faunus nodded. The sound of the water was becoming more and more intense; it was getting closer. They both jumped on a platform quickly crafted by their friend and allowed Weiss to draw them upwards.

The flood filled the room, water covering the tunnel faster than a rampaging pack of Beowolves. The pair stood up and jumped, Weiss and Ruby grabbing them and pulling them upwards. The blonde was grateful for that- all that enhanced run had exhausted-

A long, fleshy, black clawed hand reached out of the water and got hold onto her leg. The sisters shared a surprised yelp as a very powerful force tried to pry the brawler off Ruby.

Hollow, guttural sounds of babbling and growling filled the tunnel as dozens of glistering red eyes looked at them. Having already pulled Blake up, Weiss grabbed Myrtenaster and revolved the chamber to orange.

The faunus was even faster. Nightfall unclasped and lashed out, severing the clawed arm and earning a deep pained scream from below. Ruby pulled Yang up and Weiss unleashed all her pent-up fury on the creatures, emptying her lightning capsule on the underwater menace.

The sizzling sound and smell of burnt flesh accompanied a chorus of gasps and pains. Ruby slammed the trapdoor shut and Crown pierced the ground, sealing the opening with two layers of ice.

Without any delay, all four of them ran out of the unknown room, slamming shut the door behind them- and making sure to seal that as well. Their feet touched soft mud, and their lungs welcomed the familiar smell of foggy, musty night air. It was the best thing they had sensed for quite a while.

They took a couple breaths and, after making sure nothing was actually coming out from behind them, got up. In front of them was a burial ground, fungi-covered tombs greeting them back to the land of the living.

And behind it, a mansion, imposing and magnificent despite its obvious abandon, stood. Team RWBY, battered, exhausted and beaten, shared a triumphant look of determination.

"There's no place like home" Ruby drew Crescent Rose and moved forward, her friends on tow as they moved on, unaware of the amber eyes that looked at them from inside the towering building.


	32. Midnight Stroll

**Hello again everyone! How have you been doing? I hope as well as I do. **

**Anyway, I don't have anything else of importance. Chapter 32 is here and as always I am thankful for taking your time to read it. I sincerely hope you enjoy it! **

**See you all next week with chapter 33. **

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"Am I the only one who finds having a burial ground next to your house kind of macabre?" Weiss said while they were striding through the foggy, tomb-filled terrace.

"My guess would be they wanted to pay respects to their dead; some old religions of Menagerie follow that principle too" Blake replied. "Most of them use small shrines, not actual tombs though."

"Maybe they just wanted to have them close by" Ruby exclaimed, checking around for enemies. "It is weird, though" she lowered her rifle.

"What's weird?" The reaper turned around to reply to her sister "There are very few tombstones and I noticed Ms. Red's grave doesn't seem to be here."

"What were you expecting?" Weiss scoffed. "Most nobles would never bury their wife next to the servants or employees, Ruby. It's common sense- why are you looking at me like this?"

"It's nothing" the brunette smiled, earning a giggle from the other two members of the team. "I don't see any enemies around; let's move."

They walked away from the small burial ground and into a large garden. The grass was black and wilted and a series of black, dead trunks decorated the stone-paved path, as if escorting them.

"This is creepy now" the pale girl noticed "but it must have been very beautiful when the island was inhabited." Yang nodded "yeah. Just imagine everything green and filled in flowers under a blue sky."

They shared a tender smile, earning an eye roll from Blake. "Is that a well?" she pointed ahead, where the remains of a stony cylinder were visible through the fog.

Ruby moved ahead and stood right in front of it. A broken, rusty mechanism was on the ground in front of it and she could see traces of… "There are weapon marks all over the place."

Yang stepped next to her "lots of bloodstains, too. There is one on the edge of the well, like they dragged someone." She peeked into the chasm. "I can see something. Rubes can I have some light?"

"No need to" the faunus had already used her own superior vision to determine what was that caught her partner's interest. "There are skeletons down there- quite a few if I may add" she said flatly.

Weiss flicked her wrist and send a couple sparks light the walls of the structure, revealing the significant pile of dead bodies inside. She grimly counted about half a dozen bodies.

They were in a bad condition, humidity and moisture definitely working on them. However there was one thing that all girls noticed, despite the half- decomposed state of their attire; they all wore servant clothes.

Ruby was the only one who didn't look, securing there would be no ambush from behind them. "Care to fill me?" she asked. "Five or six people- probably from the household's servant body."

"I would say they were killed and tossed into the well to rot" Yang added, stepping away. "This is no Grimm work; just like the fellow that got killed in the Lighthouse."

"This is no bandit work as well" Blake said. "They were tossed inside there in order to be 'cleaned' later." Ruby raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What Blake means is" Weiss gulped "they gathered them in this place in order to properly hide the bodies afterwards; either by sealing the well with dust or even melting them with acid."

The faunus nodded in agreement, obviously disgusted. "Not even the White Fang were so thorough into disposing bodies. This is professional work that somebody put a lot of thought into."

"Then why was it so easy to find, Blakey? Why didn't they finish the job?" "Isn't it obvious?" Ruby replied to her sister. "Because _something_ got them before they had a chance to."

All of them turned at their team leader, who was kneeling on the ground, trying to pick up something that was stuck in the mud. She tugged it free after a couple seconds and rubbed it in her fingers to clean.

"Weiss take this with you for evidence, please" she tossed a small golden cylinder at her partner. "This is a dust bullet cylinder. How is this evidence?"

"It's a 45mm cartridge for semi-automatic small carbines." Ruby replied as Weiss showed it to the other two who had now gathered next to her. "From your tone, I get that it's not normal weaponry, is it Rubes?"

"This is military-restricted weaponry, designed for use on low-visibility missions. There is no way the huntsmen of this island had something like that- it's very cheap and easy to mass produce but ineffective against Grimm."

All of them stared at Ruby who had a neutral expression on her face. The conclusion to this was simple- yet no one wanted to openly admit it.

"Whoever killed those people came in the island prepared and intending to do so" Blake finally said. "What and why?" she then added.

"Let's move on to check the other buildings- no need to spend more time here" their leader pointed forward, everyone looking towards where she was pointing at.

The untended gardens gave way to a mist-covered staircase. The mansion was tall; they couldn't see the top but Weiss insisted it was at least three-floor high.

Unlike the village houses, it was made of stone and had large windows. Two smaller buildings stood behind it, their outlines barely visible. A broken carriage was lying on the road between them.

"We first secure the two facilities. Then we enter the mansion. Last thing I want is to have those things ambush us from the back."

All of them wordlessly moved along the old, pebble-paved road. After making sure there was nothing inside the rotten and destroyed carriage, they reached the larger and most remote of the two.

The girl checked her gun once more and nodded as they stood in front of it. It was long and consisted of only one floor, with a triangular roof on top.

A series of rotten and broken doors with a particular large window for each of them betrayed its intended use- Weiss noticed it at once. "This must be the household stables."

"Did you have horses back in Atlas?" her partner asked her. "Not in our mansion, but learning how to ride one was part of my 'polished upbringing' as my father called it. So, we did own some establishments- why are you smiling like that again?"

"Baby" Yang's half-amused tone from behind made the ex-heiress turn around. "I would have expected you to not falling so easily for Rubes' bait after five years of knowing her."

"Well" she huffed "I am pleased to see her acting like a dolt again, so I am letting it slide." Ignoring the looks of disbelief she earned from the Bumblebee pair, she turned back to her partner.

"So, are we checking it or not?" "Blake and I will. I want you two to stand lookout and secure our perimeter. Even with the tunnel sealed, I just don't trust this fog. Or anything else here to begin with."

Cyan eyes narrowed in approval. Blake moved next to her, while Weiss and Yang took off, starting to patrol the facility's perimeter.

-o—

"I don't think we will find anything noteworthy here, Ruby." Raven bangs covering her shining cat-like eyes, she walked out of the third room to her leader, standing behind her.

"For now I am just pleased we haven't found any poor horse…" she trailed off, earning an earnest smile from the brunette. Ruby's love for animals was well-known among them and Blake was more than happy to confirm it at any given time.

"I am grateful for it, too" she replied and moved on to the fourth one. The door was torn quite badly- and neither of them liked that.

As the entrance was pushed open and both took a good look at the horse-sized chamber, they were justified for their unease. The raven girl slightly averted her eyes, while the red one just clenched her rifle.

The interior was filled in blood. Floor, door, walls, pavement; all of them were so horribly splattered; there was no way to avoid looking at it. The only saving grace was there were no horse remains inside there.

For the mass of massacred bones and remains of clothing and weapons definitely belonged to a human. Blake's head hung and Ruby knelt next to it.

"Semi-automatic 45mm caliber Mistralian Carbine- type Griffon. I think we found one of our attackers" she got up. "I don't think anything needs to be said about what happened to him, however."

"Dust rest his soul; even if he was a murderer, no one deserves to be torn apart alive by Grimm" Blake only added. "Do you want to check the rest?"

Ruby nodded and took a deep breath to embolden herself. She then looked in the close distance, where the two silhouettes of their teammates had stopped, checking out the woods.

"Yes. Let's be done before Weiss and Yang are back from their patrol."

-o—

"I think this is as far as we should go" the shorter girl stopped. "We can easily observe the tree line and we have line of sight to Ruby as well."

Yang cracked her fingers. "Yeah. It sounds about right. We take a two minute break and then retreat to cover the other side towards the mansion."

"I agree. Even though I believe they will have ended by then- the stables is long, but not that extended. And there are not many complex places to look at."

"Well, I am sure next to the Schnee Stables, nothing looks as big as it should" she giggled, but got no answer. Instead, she was met with the side of her girlfriend's head who was staring towards the half-covered, misty woods.

"Hey, baby. We were joking- you know that, right?" a soft sigh escaped Weiss lips, as she continued keeping lookout. "Of course I know that. Not that it makes it any funnier, mind you."

"I am sorry…" she lowered her hat, tossing it on her back. "If you truly are, please focus on our patrol. Last thing I want now is to let a minor thing as this to get in the way of our mission."

Normally Yang would retort that if it bothered her, it was no minor thing. But Weiss was right. This was far from the proper place to start this kind of talk.

So, she did hold her tongue and bit her response back. Silence followed as both of them kept watch. One minute passed. And five seconds. Yes, she was counting them.

Ten more seconds. Twenty. Thirty-four. "Yang, can you hear this?" "Hear what?" A lilac colored eye slightly opened in confusion.

Usually Weiss' fake cold shoulder kept for no more than two minutes and she knew well to let her lover's inner self do the damage control. But that rarely- which is never- came along with hearing things.

"Just focus please…I am sure I heard something…" the tone of her voice indicated Weiss was not pissed. She was cautious.

The blonde took a couple steps forward in order to not get away from the pale girl's eyesight. She stayed silent and tried to- the sound came to her. It was distant and smooth. And familiar. _Too_ familiar.

An island girl herself, Yang had spent lots of her childhood days at the beach, both in sunny and rainy days. She was sure there was no way she could ever forget this sound; once soothing, now simply terrifying.

"This is the sound of the ocean; waves crushing to the shore" she turned and said to Weiss who was standing behind her. "It shouldn't be audible from here. But I guess the tide is really high after all."

"Oh…I see…" the response was less than enthusiastic and the shorter girl averted her eyes. Yang noticed her left hand, grabbing Crown, was slightly trembling.

"Bab- Weiss" the rare use of her name by Yang made her raise her head again and stare at the girl. "What? I am fine- just a little mad but that's not the time for-"

"You are scared." And just like this, in the extremely genuine and tact-less way that Weiss had so fallen in love with, Yang addressed the Goliath in the room.

"I am not. You are imagining things" she forced the words out of her mouth. "I am a huntress. I would never get scared of some Grimm" she clutched her sword hilt tighter.

"Fine" Yang moved and stood in front of her "would you like me to call it unsettled then? Would this satisfy your taste?" she asked, donning a very serious expression on her face.

"Don't be stupid, Yang. I fought next to you against a rampaging horde of Grimm in front of Salem's castle. I took down an ancient Hydra only with Ruby's help!"

Impressively enough, she managed continue without raising her voice. "I stood against Hazel and Tyrian guarding Neptune and Sun's unconscious bodies with Blake and Lumia! Why would I ever be afraid of some fog and a lunatic with an inflated and misguided ego?"

Weiss stood there, breathing just a little bit heavier than usual. Her eyes were slightly wet, her cheeks red and puffy. Yang lowered her gaze- and smiled tenderly.

"Because you are human, Weissy. Fear knows no logic. Stuff like 'I fought in great wars and I fear nothing' is stupid." The Schnee clenched her teeth.

"I can't afford being afraid, Yang. Who's going to support Ruby if I am afraid? Who is going to be there for Blake if I am afraid? Who is going to stop you from doing stupid stuff?"

Yang's mouth opened a little to answer, but Weiss kept on. "How am I going to help you? Cowering away in fear, unable to prevent my sister's image from popping out of the mist?!"

"You will." The reply was simple and spot-on. Typical Yang style. "Like you always have. You will do it, while chasing your fears away. Because you are strong. Possibly the strongest of us."

Weiss looked at the blonde sadly "what are you-" "there is no shame in fear, Snowpuff. The only shame is in letting it control you." She raised her metal arm smiling awkwardly "trust me; I know."

"Yang…" cyan eyes narrowed in shame- and then immediately shot open wide as Weiss' face became even paler in horror. "Turn around. Now!"

"Winter again?" was the only thing she managed to say before she saw them. Lithe, human-like forms were slowly pouring out of the misty woods. She couldn't even count how many different bodies were there.

They walked closer to them, footsteps accompanied by a soft splashing sound that caused so many horrible theories to form in Yang's mind. The lack of any sound from the creatures only added to it.

"RUBY! BLAKE!" Weiss' scream cut through the night, as both huntresses readied their weapons and carefully stepped back. They matched their opponents' tempo, retreating towards the stables.

Blake appeared from the shadows and drew Envelop, while the sound of Crescent Rose cocking from behind them, indicated Ruby was already in place. "Take defensive positions and do not engage until we have clear line of sight!" the redhead screamed.

"What are these?" the faunus asked. "We have no idea, Blakey. They just came out of the fog. Thankfully, they seem pretty slow." Weiss held her weapons tighter to stop her trembling "or pretty cautious. Don't underestimate them" she added.

The forms crawled closer, the sounds of splashing feet along with a distinct saltiness permeating the air made Yang gulp. "Just how many are they?" Blake's eyes opened wide as more and more poured out of the half-covered trees.

And then suddenly, the first ones stopped moving. They slammed on something, bodies totally colliding as if hitting an invisible wall.

"The barrier!" Ruby shouted. Seems they can't pass it as well!" Weiss narrowed her eyes "maybe that's why Alizar put it in the first place- to repel all these."

In the same voiceless and unnatural manner, the figures started scratching and moving, trying to penetrate the obstacle. To the huntresses' relief, it didn't even budge.

The splashing footsteps increased, sending team RWBY on edge, their focus on the growing mass of half-covered figures piling up and voicelessly scratching the edge of the barrier.

After a few nerve-wracking minutes went by, the things started retreating. They turned around and walked away in the same manner, vanishing into the cloudy night.

All girls exchanged looks. The same mixture of confusion, fear and adrenaline rush was etched on their faces. "That was one of the most horrifying things I have ever seen" Weiss admitted, grabbing Yang's hand.

"We are all pretty tense and tired. Plus, no matter what they are, it is their natural habitat; it's a normal thing to happen" Blake agreed with her.

"Which is why we should get going" Ruby jumped off the stables' roof and landed on the ground. "Let's get inside- time to end this and go home. We have stayed too much here."


	33. Red Mansion

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? **

**We have reached almost 20 favorites and more than 20 follows! I am honestly so happy and grateful to all of you for this, even if you are simply reading the story and nothing more. Giving even a few minutes of your time is something I am grateful for. **

**I also have to make an important announcement. There will be no upload on December 25th and to make up for that I will be uploading a double chapter next week. **

**Anyway, here is chapter 33. I hope you like it and have fun till next week!**

* * *

The walk to the mansion was as uneventful as it was short, despite them being on high alert for an unexpected ambush.

Two large bronze lion heads greeted them through the haze, guarding is base. One of them had a considerable blood splatter on its mane, a small trail forming down its back.

The girls carefully walked up the stairs. "There are signs of combat and blood trails everywhere. For professionals, they did find some unexpected resistance" Yang's voice cut through the silence.

"Can you imagine assassins trying to attack Patch?" Ruby asked, earning a shocked stare from Yang. "Old Man Timber would use them for firewood if they dare mess with his crops" she answered, not joking at all.

"Many professionals underestimate what kind of training villagers and people away from the large cities are forced to have in order to survive" Blake agreed.

"I see..." Weiss concluded "they came here, expecting to find only the Red Family and a few local huntsmen. Instead, they meet hard-boiled villagers who retaliate and are forced to kill them on spot, abandoning all sorts of covert operation."

"Most likely yes. Instead of an assassination, a full-scale battle blows out and gets dragged enough for Grimm to appear." Ruby stood in front of the door. "The assassins make their presence known and have to get rid of everyone."

"Why?" Yang asked. "Why was lying low so important for them that they would get to the point of killing an entire village to hide it?" Weiss sighed. "Gold, possibly. And I have a feeling that Octavios was deep into trouble."

"Whatever that was, he got the attention of something more dangerous than normal Grimm- humans" Blake concluded bitterly.

Ruby tried to open her mouth to retort, but stopped. Instead, she took one step back for momentum and kicked the door open. The rotten wood cracked under her boot, revealing the dark, light-less interior.

Blake steeped forward, taking in the sight before her as the dim light from Yang's lamp enhanced her night vision.

In front of them, a large entrance hall spread. Blake deduced it was at least twenty meters long. On their left and right two half open doors marked the entrance to a pair of waiting rooms.

A red carpet on the floor was covered by mushrooms that shone in many different colors under the artificial light. It formed a straight line that led towards the back and then split in half, following two wide, round staircases.

The walls were all covered in badly- preserved paintings. An ample array of fungi-covered statues and trophies were spread across the hall, glimmering as the girls walked by.

There was, however, another important issue at hand. "Two...three… six. There are six skeletons here" Yang finished counting as they stood in front of the stairs.

"They are all servants of the house" Weiss added. "And in a very bad state if I may add" she snuffed her nose in disgust. "Humidity does that" Ruby, flashlight in hand, knelt next to a statue and poked on the surface with her finger.

"This is the tenth bullet hole; and we are still in the entrance" she said. Standing up, she lit the area in front of her- at the east of the mansion.

"There are paths to the east, west, up and possibly down to the cellar. This place is huge" she exclaimed. "Should we split?" Blake asked her.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at her in question. "We can cover more space this way and many places will be too crowded with all four of us to begin with" she explained.

The reaper looked at her teammates before nodding. "Weiss, come with me. We will check the ground floor and cellar. Blake and Yang, go to the second and third floors."

She took out her scroll and gave it to her sister. "If anything happens-" "Use the siren ringtone to sound the alarm, got it" she winked. "Good" Ruby smiled "let's get moving."

-o-

The second floor corridor was long and as moldy as the rest of the building. Blood splatters were spread all over the place as well. Blake had been forced to look away sadly as they passed by a blood-covered broken window.

They stopped by to check on one more skeleton; another servant of the household. "Quite the massacre" Yang groaned in frustration. "Grimm my ass" she continued.

"There are so many questions about what happened in this place, Yang. At some point, it's very certain that Grimm came." The blonde shrugged her shoulders "it smells like a power- or gold-related conspiracy to me Blakey."

"You may not be off the-" Blake stopped in front of a half-open room and checked at a corpse that was standing there, impaled on the floor.

It had decent weaponry, combat clothes and, the most important, a large pin with the Red Family emblem on his chest; a pair of scarlet blades forming a jagged heart.

"This was an island huntsman" she turned to her partner. "So they got them too, huh. Sounds legit." The pair got up and passed by a few bedrooms and bathrooms, thoroughly checking everything.

"Skeletons, blood and traces of battle everywhere; and nothing else" the brawler complained to the silent agreement of the faunus. They walked to the top floor- and froze in place.

The floor was a total war zone. Piles of skeletal corpses were stacked on the bloodstained tiles. Bodies torn apart and crushed in horrifying ways filled their vision, indicating the use of brutal ways a human's life should never end in.

Stray bullet marks and signs of combat were everywhere. Potted plans crashed, expensive pieces of art defiled, statues smashed and thrown. Blake stopped next to the nearest one.

"He had" she shivered "his throat broken. He didn't even manage to shoot one bullet." Yang walked forward and examined another few of them. "Teeth marks all over their bones- those people were not assassinated. They were eaten by Grimm."

They walked past by the piles, checking the rooms around them. A small bedroom without any furniture, a bath, a study hall; all of them filled with death. Servants, huntsmen, everyone was slaughtered in the worst way possible- eaten alive.

Blake and Yang turned left to the leftmost part of the corridor- and the final revelation the place had to offer. A large, hastily-made barricade out of the wooden furniture stood at the end of the path, mangled corpses all over it.

Yang jumped over the wooden obstacle and checked at the horribly killed people. From the number of skulls, she counted around ten of them, all horribly maimed in an extremely painful manner.

They were armed with sub-machine carbines and bore no marks, emblems or pins at all. Pieces of black, gray and green clothes were laid around the white bones.

"I think now we know why these guys never finished their clean-up" Blake announced from behind her. "Normally I would say they had it coming, but this is way too cruel even for scum like them" she replied.

Yellow eyes rolled as a restrained smile appeared in Blake's lips. _It's always amazing how you still try to act tough, Yang. We all know what a softhearted one you truly are._

She carefully got closer to her partner, who had just finished removing the mold and dust from the only door around the corpses. She carefully pushed open to not damage the bodies even more, and stepped in.

The room was another massacre site. Blood was splattered all over- even in the ceiling. The only remaining furniture was a broken chair and a splintered desk.

Among the torn and disheveled armed bodies, broken and shattered pieces of books and office equipment were lying around. Other than that, there was nothing, except for one little thing Blake's eyes caught.

She quickly stepped next to a blood-stained wall and rubbed off the mold and dust, exposing a small object.

"I found something." It was a golden circle made of metal. It protruded out of the stone, letters engraved on it. In its middle stood the Red Family emblem, made of red gems.

She noticed words forming on top of the gems and rubbed the grime off of it. She narrowed her eyes and read;

'**_Of untold eons long forgotten,_**

**_Part of fairy tales now to bear. _**

**_His blessing once to his devoted, _**

**_Now merely a cause for fear'_**

"What is this?" Yang got closer but not too close as to not obstruct the faunus' examination. "It looks very fancy."

"It's a metal circle. It has five rings with random letters on them that seem to be rotating for some reason. There's also a riddle-like poem written here, but its purpose escapes me."

The blonde's lilac orbs lit up. "Oh I know what this is!" she happily exclaimed grinning. "It's a mechanical locker with a puzzle! You know, like the ones in RPG and stuff that Ruby plays!"

Seeing the confused face Blake took, she elaborated. "You rotate each ring and then push in to 'lock' a letter. If you put the correct letters in the correct turn, the mechanism activates."

"Really?" it was one of the rare moments that Yang caught her partner visibly surprised. "Why would anyone use such a childish thing to safeguard a locker?" Lilac eyes narrowed "childish?"

"I mean, if you have a combination to open it, why give others a hint for it? Besides, if Octavios was truly Alizar and Cinder's father, he could easily create a room accessible only to him by using his semblance to open the wall."

The blonde took a thoughtful expression "I have no idea but does it truly matter?" "I guess not- I was just curious. I am also curious as to why Alizar didn't even bother with it despite him being around longer than us."

"As for that- maybe we can ask him when we beat the crap outta him. Let's focus now on opening this thing; it must have important stuff inside if they went to all this trouble of sealing it."

She examined once more the phrase and the letters. The rows were as follow. 1st was M, J, R, I, L, A, S, P. 2nd was W, B, O, I, E, A, L, S. 3rd was L,V, B, E, A, I, O, G. 4th one was H, N, M, E, O, I, D, A. And the last one was Q, E, T, Y, L, C, S, O.

**-AT THIS POINT YANG AND BLAKE'S THOUGHT PROCESS BEGINS. IF ANYONE WISHES TO TRY ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT ANY HELP BEFORE THE ANSWER IS REVEALED, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO NOW. JUST TO CLARIFY SMT, THE RIDDLE IS BASED IN CANON REMNANT LORE- **

"Ok. Then, it starts with something long forgotten and speaks of untold eons… maybe the maidens?" "You are out of your element Blakey, aren't you- we are looking for something with five letters."

"Sorry, I am just not good in wordplay." A giggle escaped the taller girl's mouth. "Yeah, you are the bookworm, so I forget that you hate riddles and puzzles."

"Let's ignore that for now. So, if we analyze each verse, what do we have?" Yang scratched her chin "crudely speaking, something old and forgotten is the first clue."

"Right. As for the second, it speaks of something that now is part of the fairy tales. Like something that once was known…"she sighed"…and now has become a bed-time story."

"That something has also been given by someone to his followers" the blonde added. "I am pretty sure that someone was either Ozpin or one of the Gods. I don't know many others that come to mind and Salem wouldn't be addressed as a male" the faunus concluded.

"Damn, my head hurts already." Blake smiled "hang in there; the final clue is that _now,_ which possibly means at his age, it is a source of fear. Which means- Grimm?"

"I don't think there was a point in history where the creatures Grimm were forgotten, Blakey. Besides, there is no 'G' in the first ring."

"Fair point there. So… something old and forgotten…now part of fairy tales, bestowed by someone powerful to his devoted, now a source of fear…"

"Could it be Relic?" Yang said. "The letters fit too" she moved forward to try them, but the faunus quickly jumped forward and grabbed her arm.

"Wha-" she tried to complain, visibly surprised, but the stern look in the yellow orbs made the words die in the brawler's mouth.

"I don't know many things about puzzles, but I know a lot about trapped locks. Don't be hasty, please." Her voice was as calm and professional as Blake used to be anytime the situation turned dire.

"Ok…" she slowly retracted her hand. "Sorry about that…all these corpses and the morbid atmosphere…I got scared for a moment there."

Yang simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled "I forgot it already. Let's see… if it is truly trapped, how are we gonna try it?"

"We simply get to a satisfying answer. 'Relic' is a good try, but I don't think they were common knowledge back then, even with all that magic spread around."

"Yeah, guess you are right…" she scratched her head, but then immediately stopped and shot up "that's it, Blakey!"

The faunus' eyes opened wide in shock "what is it now?" Yang grinned even more widely. "Magic! 5 letters! Forgotten but known back then! Now a part of fairy tales!"

"It was bestowed to humans by the God of Darkness… and nowadays it caused fear to the ones who knew of Salem and the Relics… that's a pretty good guess, Yang!" she admitted, visibly impressed.

The blonde giggled and flared up her aura, just in case, before rotating the five rings to form the word. M-A-G-I-C was created and then Yang pushed the circle.

The sound of cogs moving and old locks and bars getting unlocked filled the room, as a line formed on the wall in front of them. The surface split in half and moved in, revealing a small, dark room inside.

Blake stepped in and looked around. The secret room was decent-sized, with a large, empty wooden desk and a considerable bookshelf, half empty save for a few tomes. A long bench occupied its other side.

She knelt and rubbed the floor with her gloved fingers. Despite a thin layer of dust, there was nothing. No humidity, no grime not even the stench of decay the entire island seemed to drown in. Even the desk's cloth was in considerably good shape.

Yang stepped in, her lamp revealing quite an unusual detail. "The door is trapped!" Her voice made Blake turn around and notice the impressive amount of fire dust planted on the moving wall.

"So, that's why" the faunus affirmed. "If anyone puts on the wrong combination or even tries to force the wall to open, it will explode. It's nearly impossible to enter without solving the riddle. That's why Alizar didn't bother trying it."

"Detective thoughts aside, do you think we could use this dust? It seems in good shape and I am kinda running low." Blake narrowed her eyes "will you please be careful handling it? I don't want-"

Before she could even finish, Yang had already removed the first crystal and put in in her belt. "Who do you think you are talking to? I am dating Remnant's greatest dust expert, you know" she winked.

"Just don't blow us up" she joked and turned to examine the room. The desk was in good shape but other than that had nothing interesting on, so she focused on the books.

After a few minutes of checking the contents, she let an impressed whistle. "These are all hand-written" her inner bookworm was drooling, but she decided now was not the time to feed it.

She picked a book and skimmed through the pages- and her face went pale. "This is… a Grimm manual" she turned to her partner who had just removed the third crystal from the wall.

"A what?" the reply came without the blonde turning her head. "A manual about Grimm characteristics and behavioral patterns. And very advanced at that."

She opened and quickly passed through the books. They were all detailed manuals on different Grimm species, including some very rare ones, along with some very useful pieces of information about them.

Except for the last one. She opened the small, brown leather tome and took a peek. There were truly words and phrases inside- probably. The entire book was in a language that she had never seen again.

Dissatisfied, but dripping with curiosity, she put the books in her arms. "Looting the place- team RWBY style" Yang joked. "I feel kind of bad about it, but I would feel even worse if I let them rotting around here" she replied, flustered.

"Hey, sounds fair to me. Give me a few more minutes and I will be done." Blake wrapped the books inside the cloth and tossed them behind her shoulder forming an impromptu backpack.

She then walked to the bench. It was long and made of massive stone. Strange carvings were spread all over its surface, forming circles and weird shapes. There was nothing else on it, save for a single wooden box.

She took the object in her hands and opened it. Inside it was a pendant. It was made of gold and had green-colored decorations. It was beautifully crafted and no one could mistake its value.

Or the image it depicted. It was so well-made, that Blake couldn't possibly mistake it. The head of a Wyvern, jaws open in a mighty roar.

"Hey, I know this!" Yang said as the raven-haired girl walked watched next to her, still holding the jewel in her arms. She had just finished storing the dust and gave a pouch to her partner.

"You do? How?" she replied, storing it away. "This crazy chick, Cherry, wore one that looked kinda like it. I think it was not a Wyvern, though. But they had the same style."

"This is becoming even more complicated" Blake said, putting the emblem in her coat's pocket. "Come on; let's go see what Ruby and Weiss found."

* * *

**Also, please let me know whether you tried solving the riddle or not. If you did, tell me whether you liked it or it was boring/too easy/ etc. Thanks in advance!**

**Edit; I am really sorry for the spam, but for some reason the letters for the riddle didn't get uploaded the first time and I had to upload again**


	34. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**Here we have chapter 34. More or less, I hope I did all characters involved justice with it. **

* * *

"This is the kitchen" Ruby examined the room, briefly illuminated by Weiss' embers. The same fungus-covered theme was spread all over the ovens and household appliances, crawling even upon the broken fridge and tossed utensils.

"No corpses here; seems they evacuated this wing rather quickly" the alabaster girl noted. "Yeah…" the pair walked down the empty room, carefully striding over the protruding, moldy knives.

"And I thought Blake's kitchen was bad enough as it is" Weiss' heeled boot nearly skidded of a fallen butcher's knife. "It can't be that bad." The petite girl shook her head.

"It is that bad. And I am living with your sister; just think about it." Ruby didn't reply; she only noted to never visit Blake when Sun had been away for days.

Next was a small corridor they passed through very quickly, leading to a broken door. Blood was spread all over the doorknob and glass.

They exchanged glares and then Weiss stepped in, Ruby covering her with Crescent Rose. Cyan eyes scoured the room and then the woman's face dropped and an unhappy sigh escaped her pink lips.

The room was unlike anything else they had seen so far. For starters, there were no windows. Additionally, there was furniture, personal items or anything resembling a mansion's room to begin with.

Instead, both girls found themselves looking at a spacious area. There were about twelve small benches, made of some weird-looking pitch-black rock, with splintered wooden chairs around them.

In the middle, a large metal forge stood, with thick pipes connecting its interior to each of the benches. On the wall just behind it, a stand for shovels and picks was etched, the items broken and thrown all over the place. A small cabin was visible just next to it.

But the reason for Weiss' dissatisfaction was something different; next to the cold, abandoned forge, above a large sack, were the remains of another human skeleton, badly torn apart on top of a sea of dried blood.

"These are huntsman clothes" she exclaimed as she stood over the corpse. "I think he is like the one you found in the stables."

Ruby checked his weapon and affirmed. "Judging from his position, he got attacked and slain with his back turned. How did he-" her voice stopped the moment her partner knelt and looked into the sack, anger visible in her face.

"I knew it" she cut an edge of the canvas with her blade, revealing a hoard of small, dusty, bloodstained jewelry. Ruby's eyes opened wide. She may not have been an expert in the field of fine arts, but these were truly beautiful. And they looked pricey, too.

"Grimm came here" Weiss hissed "and instead of protecting his comrades, this third-rate buffoon got eaten alive trying to get away with the jewelry."

"Some would call it come-uppance" the brunette replied, earning a malevolent glare from her friend. "Weiss?"

"They can keep their own twisted sense of come-uppance or justice to themselves, then. This guy is responsible for the deaths of many people, children included." She got up and turned her back to Ruby.

"He should get trialed for his crimes and sentenced to spending his life atoning for them, not ending up as Grimm food while trying to stash away more fucking money!"

"Weiss…" Ruby stepped forward "…cursing doesn't suit you." A humph was the only reply she got. Ruby took another step. "Want a hug?" she smiled, knowing her partner was truly aware of that.

"No…but thanks. And sorry, I get worked up so much when money is involved." Ruby stood next behind her- and grabbed her best friend from her waist, picking her up.

"RUBYYYY! WHAT ARE YOU-" the slow and affectionate giggle from the red girl's lips stopped Weiss' protests. "Remember when you told me to 'shake you up' if you start acting stupid?"

"I wasn't speaking literally! Dolt! Idiot! Moron! PUT ME DOWN!" Ruby complied and released the ex-heiress, who turned around, cheeks puffed red in embarrassment. "Do you think now is a time to play-"

Once more Weiss' words were cut off. Ruby was smiling softly and had a very serious expression on her face "feeling better now?"

Her cheeks reddening even more, she turned and looked away "just keep searching. Dolt" she murmured, moving towards the cabin.

"You are welcome" the reaper replied, walking to one of the stone-forged benches. She rubbed the surface- it was smooth and despite the dust and humidity, devoid of any traces of mold of fungi.

Other than that, it was nothing more than a massive piece of rock, save for a large, rectangular-shaped hole in its middle. Ruby lit up the hole and found out an opening on the rightmost side, communicating with the tube that connected the forge with the bench.

She let her eyes wander off, her mind quick to connect the dots. "This is a matrix for shaping metals" she whispered. "But what reason would one have to shape metals into bars?"

Not having heard her question, Weiss walked past the stand and stood in front of the cabin. Small and without any door, the room was in a good shape- as well as the three diving suits standing inside it.

A small- rotten desk with an ancient-looking computer was behind them. An iron locker stood next to it; she opened it and came face-to-face with weathered diving equipment.

From empty oxygen bottles to grappling hooks, this finding was not strange, but one of the most bewildering ones they had stumbled across so far.

Before leaving, her eyes fell to one small box inside. The label was rotten, but it seemed well-sealed. She opened it and saw six small data cards- in an astonishingly good shape.

"Did you find anything?" Ruby asked her as she moved towards her. "Diving suits, for some reason. And a few data chips- we can check them later" she replied, stowing away the box in her bag. "How about you?"

"This is a forge for molding metal into bars" she replied back. "But I can't find any reason for that to be here. Bars are totally useless- hard to forge into weapons and helpful only in stocking ore. But why would you-"

"Wait" the ex-heiress replied "how about gold? This is useful if you forge it into bars. You can transport it easier and…"

Ruby tried really hard to follow Weiss' train of thought. She really did. But it was really tough to do so, both because her friend's voice trailed and slowly vanished in the background and because of the visage that replaced her.

Amber eyes narrowed in gleaming satisfaction, as wavy black hair framed the hateful face. Cinder, swords in hand, took one elegant step towards her.

"Did you think it would have been that easy?" she licked her lips- and got punched by a jet-fast fist. "Yes!" instead of cowering away, Ruby cracked her neck and punched once more her mortal enemy-

Cinder simply burst into flames. Ruby didn't even begin to comprehend what happened, as the heat charred her skin.

-ο-

The smell of ash and smoke filled her nostrils, filling her chest- wait, when did her breasts become that small? She knew she lacked in contrast to her sister, but still…

"BROTHER!" she turned around. Why did she? She wasn't-

She turned around, to see the image of a gentle-looking young woman with short black hair and kind amber eyes. She was standing in front of a burning house, a pair of bloodstained falchions in her hands.

She had a pained expression from the bullet she had already received protecting him. "Follow me, back to the mansion. We have to talk to father."

"Why" he heard the words ran out of her mouth. "Dad said to get the boat and leave." _When did Tai say that? And where was Yang? Wait, who was Yang again?_

The woman looked at her in confusion. "Are you ok, Alizar? Did you get hurt and lost your mind? The boat was destroyed by those _huntsmen_ who killed Robus!" she spat the words out as if cursing.

As soon as she heard the words, her mind went into overdrive

Alizar? Who is Alizar? She grabbed her head, trying to focus. She was dizzy- way too dizzy. Tai, Yang, Weiss, Blake, Jau-ne…she repeated the names to not forget.

_But, who are these people? _

The rush of memories assaulted her. He felt her head would split in half from the pain and intensity. She tried to hold the surge back, but couldn't help it; images flashed into her mind.

In a sunny day at the beach, a slender, black haired woman wearing a summer dress tackled her to the ground. Her amber eyes were glowing in happiness, matched only by her smile. _Who is she?_

New Year's Eve. A young girl was standing next to him, as she supported a young, jet-haired boy trying to grab an apple from the tree in their garden. She was standing next to them, worried. _Who are they?_

A study room. A man was signing up papers. He was short but lean and well-shaped, with deep black eyes and short black curly hair. His jaw was slightly narrow. He looked at her and smiled. _Dad?_

A waiting room. The day was dark, filled in fog and miasma. She was sitting on a couch, fiddling her boyish fingers. She was anxious, she remembered that well.

Opposing her, the falchion girl was sitting, wearing an elegant black dress that covered her entire sculpted body. A large hat was in her left hand and she was holding Robus' trembling arm in her right.

_Robus? Who was- oh yes, Robus! My brother! How did I forget about him? _

She remembered that day. Their mother had suddenly fallen ill and had been isolated in her chambers. Among them, only Elia had managed to talk to her.

_Right! Elia, my sister. My big, beautiful, strong sister! How did I forget about her? _

And that day, their father had asked them to gather in the living room, without prior notice. He had something important to tell them, he had only said.

He had just walked out to them- he seemed tired. Of course he did; he had pulled so many all-nighters trying to save and help mom. Not even that weird doctor who attended her had tried so much.

They stood up. Robus was afraid and he was no better. If their sister was anxious, she didn't show it. It would be most unbecoming of the heiress of the mansion.

"Elia, Robus, Alizar. My dear children. I am afraid I have something very unpleasant to tell you." He looked at them; his eyes wet and filled in tears.

Alizar remembered that day.

_That was right, Alizar! Her- his name was Alizar! Son of Octavios and Charlotte! Brother to the murdered Robus! _

"Alizar?" the woman was now standing in front of him, as the fire burning house made her image glow like a single torch in the night.

Her eyes were still shining, but not with the gentle caring glow of a sister; it was the menacing glare of a warrior. "Elia?" he said.

"That's me" her gaze softened. "We have to go before other huntsmen come by, brother. Are you hurt? I can carry-"

"No, I am fine! Sorry, I will try to not drag you down, sis." She nodded "you never would. And if you did, it would be worth it. Now follow me- we will take the tunnels; it's faster this way!"

She walked past him and started running to the newly-established outpost. He turned around and shortly followed after her.

_Alizar. Brother of Elia, the most gentle and most caring person in the world_. As long as he was with her, he would never ever get hurt. He would always be safe with her.

-o—

Finding their way inside the tunnels was child's play. Not only they were quite straightforward, with only a few turns and twirls, both of them had also spent half their childhood walking them.

That's why when they failed to open the trapdoor that would lead them to the gold refinery in the mansion they immediately knew something was off.

"This is sealed- from the inside" Elia said after her third failed attempt to push it open. "Can't you do anything with your power?" he asked her.

"I could try, but don't you remember what dad said?" she replied. "The exits are sealed only in emergencies. There must be a reason they closed it- maybe to prevent the _huntsmen_ from finding the mine!"

"…" Alizar felt dread rising up his spine. "What are we going to do then, sister?" Elia jumped down the opening and landed next to him.

"We will go to the mine and hide. It is the safest place and even if they find us, I can fight better there." Alizar gulped. "But I don't want you to fight, sis! You will get hurt!"

Her eyes narrowed- for a moment Alizar thought they turned lilac. "I told you already" she gripped her swords. "As soon as you are safe, I will make them pay for this; I promised on Robus' body!"

She didn't say anything more, just nodded to the boy to walk ahead. Alizar reluctantly complied and the siblings made haste for the northern part of the tunnels.

The redhead panted, gasped and groaned. Despite the tunnels being stale and very clean, with well-lit and spacious paths for them to take, the events of this night had started taking their toll on him.

And, despite all that, he was being left behind. Elia was nimble and fast, not even breaking a sweat. But he would be damned if he let himself drag his sister down! Clenching his teeth he endured.

After quite some time striding, they reached a fork in their path. Both of them knew it quite well; the left side was going down to the mine, while on the right was a sealed metal door they had never seen open.

Or at least that's what it should have been. Because at this moment… "The weird door is open" Alizar said. Judging from her reaction, his sister had noticed too.

"Let's go in there. If it's open, father must be nearby." He wanted to say something, that he had a strange feeling about the place, but who was he to doubt her? So, he simply nodded and followed Elia.

The path was going up and both children put some considerable effort into scaling it. It was dark and lightless, but after a few minutes of running, they both noticed an opening.

An opening from which a bright, sickening green light was pulsing through. He gulped. With all that running, he had forgotten about the wicked pillar of green energy that had burst from the mountainside.

"It's okay…" Elia gave him a strong, reassuring smile. "Just don't get away from my sight. I will protect you." With those kind words, she walked forward.

The boy followed her once more as they emerged up to the night sky. It was cloudy and musky, with no visible stars. On their left was the dark mountainside and on their right they could see the equally dark ocean.

The pillar of green energy was alarmingly close, bathing the rocks in its alien light. They couldn't see either the mansion or the village.

"Let's go" the girl only said, clutching her weapons. They passed over a thin, rocky bridge above a deep chasm none of them wanted to check and walked along grey, green-lit jagged pieces of earth.

Finally, they found themselves climbing a wide and short staircase made of stone. The pillar was even more visible now and the aura it pulsed was suffocating.

But what drew their attention more were the two voices talking from above them. They recognized one of the voices at once; it was their father's. Both of them rushed forward. And gasped in shock.

A large circular platform spread in front of them, formed by three extensive circles of weird-looking yet familiar runes carved on the ground. Black goo was covering the carvings.

On four sides of the platform, statues depicting strange, humanlike forms with reptilian faces stood, hands outstretched towards the middle, where the pillar was pulsing from a large hole in the ground.

And in front of the hole, their father stood. He wasn't wearing his regular huntsman attire or his casual clothes. Instead, he had a large red ceremonial robe on, covering his entire body.

A strange gold-greenish medallion depicting some dragon-like thing was the only ornament he wore. Next to him stood a tall man with brown hair and a rich beard- the doctor that had been treating their mother.

"What are you two doing here?" his voice was more concerned than angry, yet still had that characteristic mellow voice. "Didn't I tell you to get the boat and leave? Where is your brother?"

"Father" Elia stepped forward as Alizar just stood there, watching. "Huntsmen attacked the village and destroyed all boats. Robus..." she didn't avert her gaze "…didn't make it."

Alizar didn't manage to determine if the pang in his chest was from hearing that or from the reaction of pain in his father's eyes. Surprisingly enough, the doctor didn't even flinch.

"They even took my boy…" the man closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "This is another reason to be done soon, Octavios" the doctor just announced flatly. "Remember what you two promised us."

Alizar looked at their father turn around and nod to the man. "I know. And, as I told you already, I will finish this." He looked at both children "all of this."

"Father? What are you-" Elia was cut off before she could continue "Bistre" he addressed the doctor. "You do have a boat hidden, don't you?"

"I do." "Then, please" he exhaled deeply. "Take care of my family. They are all I have left in this world." The man raised an eyebrow in question. "I will finish the ritual- no matter the cost."

While both children were too shocked to respond to that, the tall man simply replied. "I do not approve of you taking such a risk, Octavios. Losing you is going to be a huge blow if you fail."

"Don't lie to me, Woodrock. I already know of the young fox-girl you gathered in Menagerie and I have seen what she can do. She can take my place any time. Am I wrong?"

Still keeping his neutral face, the man nodded. "Very well- I shall respect your wishes and take care of them."

"Father what is the meaning of this?" Elia asked her eyes filled in tears. "Why won't you come with us?" Octavios red walked next to his children and hugged them tightly.

"I can't. There is something I have to do. I am sorry, for everything that happened." "Daddy…" Alizar felt herself tearing up.

"Take care, both of you. You are all that's worth in this horrible world. Elia, protect Alizar. And you, my boy, take care of your sister. No matter what happens, I love you both."

-o—

His memories were blurry from that point on. He remembered fighting with Elia who dragged him away while crying. He remembered his father's chanting and the clouds getting thicker as Bistre lead them away.

He remembered waking up on a small boat, looking at the island. His home, now a mass of burning buildings slowly covered in a gray-greenish fog.

He remembered himself and his sister crying at each other's arms. "Why did this happen? WHY?" Elia was bawling her eyes out. "Why...mom, dad… Robus… it's so unfair!"

"You think so? Well the world is unfair" Bistre's calm voice was infuriating. "To hell with the world then!" Elia shouted. "If this is how the world is, it would better not exist!"

"Big words, kid. But it is what it is. You can't do many things about that. I hate this world and the people pulling the strings behind the scenes, but what we need to do is nearly impossible."

Elia raised her eyes. Alizar- no, Ruby Rose looked at the broken girl's burning eyes as she looked at the tall man "what can I do, then? I will do it, no matter what it is!"

And the last thing she saw was the man smiling for the first time since Alizar remembered him. He turned around to Cinder and replied calmly.

"Can you become a monster for the sake of this determination of yours?"

"Yes" she fiercely answered, tears running down her shining eyes.

"Then, that's what we will have you do" Bistre's smile deepened. "And then, we will have you kill a Goddess."


	35. Captured Rose

**Hello everyone! I promised a double chapter this week and here they are. I hope you all enjoy them! **

**As I have already told you, next week I will be taking a holiday break; therefore, the next update will be on Thursday, 02/01/2020.**

**I wish everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's Eve until we meet again! **

* * *

"Ruubes! Weissy! Where the heck are you? This place is as good as empty!" Yang's voice echoed through the mansion as she and Blake passed over the knife-covered kitchen floor.

"Makes sense they would check around in the most random and time-consuming manner possible. Weiss truly turns timid next to your sister" Blake commented as she pushed the refinery door open.

"Yeah, Ruby does that to…people?" the duo stepped in and the windowless abandoned room got into view. Along with the total lack of Ruby and Weiss inside it.

"Ok. I am starting to get worried now" the blonde murmured. "For a good reason" Blake replied and ran towards the back of the room.

"What is it?" The faunus didn't reply. She only picked up something from the ground. A large, red, high-impact sniper rifle.

Yang felt a chill down her spine. Not only Crescent Rose was there, Myrtenaster and Crown were thrown aside too. Both girls' backpacks were also thrown on the floor- their contents half-spilled.

"I think it's safe to say they got them. Ruby would never leave Crescent Rose and Weiss would never leave Ruby." The brawler gritted her teeth.

"But how would they? Rubes and Weiss are not some half-assed pair; they are almost as good as we are. And where did they take them?"

"There are no traces of them having used the path we came through. Plus, we would have heard something. And there is no other exit" Blake deduced after making a quick tour of the room.

"So what, they just flew away?" "That, or" the faunus said thoughtfully "they used a hidden passage."

"Are you sure?" Yang asked, shooting her partner a look of disbelief. "Or is it just you reading too much mystery novels?"

Blake gave Yang a serious look. "I do, but that's not the point! Don't you remember the diary map? There was a tunnel that led directly to the mansion."

"And you think that it's here?" A quick nod was her reply. "It's the only lead we have." "Let's get to business then. Take the back side, I will search around here."

Quite some time later, Yang found herself angrily tapping every single cm of the room's pavement, hoping to at least hear something unusual; to no avail of course.

She raised her head and stared at her partner's back, who was examining a few holes in the wall. "Found anything?" The girl didn't even turn around "nothing. You?"

"Nothing here as well." She was starting to get frustrated. They were suck here, wasting their time searching, while that asshole was doing who-knows-what to Weiss and Ruby!

Yang angrily kicked the pipe next to the forge closest to her. The force she put behind the strike was unexpectedly high and the blonde found her foot breaking the old tube.

Blake turned around at the sound of breaking metal and got really confused at what she saw. Away from the broken pipe, pieces of gears, cogs, wires and other machinery were scattered on the floor around Yang's feet.

"Sorry; I just got so angry; I will-" "Wait" she cut her partner off. "Did all these come out of the pipe?" she asked, while walking next to her.

"Yeah, why?" the tall huntress slightly tilted her head. "These tubes are supposed to be hollow and durable, to allow molten metal pass through them; they shouldn't have pieces of machinery inside."

"Well…" she tried to reply, but stopped. Lilac exchanged stares with yellow and both girls immediately fell upon the mold attached to the end of the tube.

It didn't take them more than a couple minutes for Blake to smile triumphantly "I can sense air from underneath." Yang grinned widely "perfect. Let's just open it."

"You might have broken the mechanism though. We will have to push it open." "On it!" without wasting any single moment, the pair got up and pushed the piece of massive rock.

Said rock proved to be not so massive after all. It was lighter and far easier to move than one would expect just by looking at it.

After a few tries, the huntresses forced it open and revealed an opening leading below. "I think we are delving into hidden underground passages too much recently" the faunus half-joked.

There was no reply however, since the other girl's eyes were fixed on something on the ground. A small piece of red cloth was hanging from the edge.

Yang picked it up and showed it to Blake; it was a scrap from Ruby's cloak. "At least we know we are on the right direction" she merely said to the brunette.

"Let's go. We have wasted enough time already" the faunus carefully checked the tunnel and jumped in. "There is no water here, so it must be safe; come."

Yang grabbed Ruby's backpack and tossed it to Blake along with Crescent Rose, before taking Weiss' equipment as well. She then jumped and landed next to her partner.

"It seems to be going upwards, so we will take it in a fast pace, ok?" the black-haired girl asked. "I am fine even with running, Blakey. Let's go save them; and Dust has mercy on anything we encounter along the way."

They exchanged nods of approval and started running, hoping above everything else they would manage to reach their beloved friends in time.

-o—

Her head hurt like hell. That was the first thing that came to Ruby Rose's mind as she regained her senses. The immediate next one was that her body was stiff and hurting as well. Especially her arms.

A whip of cold, nauseous wind slapped her cheeks. She realized she had her eyes still closed; as if her entire being commanded her to not open them, to return back to the merciful oblivion she had entered after that horrible series of impossible dreams.

_Were they truly dreams? And if not, then what were they? _She opened her eyes, keeping her heavy eyelids from closing again.

Green and black assaulted her vision, forcing her to shut them at once. She tried a few more times in order to allow her silver pools to get used to the pulsing brilliance.

When she finally managed to keep them open, Ruby gasped at what she saw. She was tied standing on a rock, detained by a pair of iron shackles that were tight enough to have scratched her wrists.

But that wasn't even the worst part. Her prison was next to the edge of a cliff, on top of a weird round platform created by three rune-covered circles and guarded by four humanoid statues with reptilian faces!

In front of her was a large hole on the ground, from which a large pillar of sick greenish light was reaching up to the sky. _This is just like my dream!_

In front of it, with a large cloak draped over its turned back, a hooded figure was chanting. Next to the figure on top of a rocky altar covered in weird shining green sigils, a young man was sleeping.

No, that was a mistake. The man wasn't sleeping; he was unconscious. She knew that very well, as well as who that man was. "JAUNE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The figure turned and Ruby felt her entire body tense with anger; deep amber orbs, framed by long scarlet strands of hair, were poking holes at her.

"You…" she hissed through her teeth. Alizar didn't reply. Instead, he walked right next to her- and punched her right cheek.

Her head slammed on the rock, sending a powerful jolt of pain down her spine, despite her aura absorbing most of the damage. Before she could even scream, he grabbed her by the neck.

"Take this condescending tone with me again, and I will tear off your tongue, Red Bitch" he announced, voice seeped in fury. "Don't forget the only reason you are alive is to suffer as long as possible."

He tossed her back, head slamming on the rock once more, albeit a lot weaker than before. That didn't make it any more pleasant, however.

That was not what mattered at this point. There were more important things she had to deal with. "Please, release Jaune. I did what you asked- I came here."

An arrogant smirk appeared on his face. "Nice; it's good to see you are at least able to understand your place after one minor beating."

Alizar stepped back, totally ignoring her request "did you enjoy peeping into my memories, Ruby Rose?" She narrowed her eyebrows in minor confusion, before realization hit her.

"What happened and how?" was the first thing she managed to blurt. The situation was dire, but maybe she could buy some time to find an opening for her to escape- and save her boyfriend from this lunatic.

"The _Seamens' Disease_" he emphasized the name, smirking widely. "Or, more accurately, the dark powers of Avyssos that have been polluting the seas around this island for the last eleven years."

"Avyssos?" she asked. "The first and oldest creation of the God of Darkness" the boy replied. "Avyssos. The first Eldergrimm, imprisoned inside this very piece of land."

To the seasoned huntress, this revelation hit much harder than the previous punches. She suspected it; they had discussed the possibilities a couple of times with her team on their way here.

But, the confirmation of its existence and even more the fact that this vengeful person standing in front of her was aware of all these, was a totally different issue. A very terrifying one, on top of that.

"So, there is an Eldergrimm involved" she managed to finally comment. "Oh little Rose" he grabbed her neck again. Ruby could smell his breath over her nostrils, as his hateful glare tried to burn her defiance.

"You have no idea how deeply involved the Eldergrimm is in our story. You could say it was part of the reason everything happened the way it did."

"What are you talking about?" He scoffed before replying. "The attack that fell on our island was not a random dispute over politics; it was Lionheart executing Ozpin's orders."

"Ozpin… ordered the destruction of this place?" she gasped. After the incident with the Relic of Knowledge, the silver-eyed warrior and the headmaster's relationships had been tarnished.

She knew he was a manipulative person that had twisted the truth in many occasions, but executing innocents was on a totally different level.

"Not exactly. The senile old fool had merely instructed the detention of my father who had found Avyssos' crypt, so that he could persuade my family into joining his cause."

"That sounds more like him" she whispered. "But, being the incompetent fool he had always been, he entrusted the worst of the worst to take command of the operation."

"Lionheart, who was working for Salem." He scoffed again "you saw the rest. That piece of trash sent a group of huntsmen to do his dirty work- and told them they could get all the gold they wanted if they made sure nobody survived to tell Ozpin what had truly happened."

"And that resulted in…" she averted her eyes, only to be punched once more in the nose. "GAH!" she screamed, feeling her aura rattle, despite enduring the hit.

"Say it, why won't you?" Ruby heard his voice in her ear. "SAY IT!" he screamed, making her eardrums hurt and her head shake.

"The heroes praised by humanity as protectors of peace signed my homeland's death. One with his incompetence and the other with his sly nature offered our heads to the Immortal Witch!"

He punched Ruby once more in the stomach. Her insides heated up and bile rose in her throat. "And, of course, you all hid that from the world and even erected academies in their name!"

He kicked her ankle, making Ruby lose her balance and fall, only for her chained wrists to get scarred by her shackles. She closed her eyes to endure the pain.

"I am sorry you had to experience all these" Ruby only said, getting up. Another kick made her fall down again. And this time, she stayed there.

"You are not sorry; not yet. I thought my nightmares could break you, but your stupid friends helped you keep on track. I underestimated how stronger you bitches are all together."

"_Your_ nightmares?" she stared at him. "As I said, the Disease is nothing more due to overexposure to the power leaking from Avyssos' crypt. You saw what it does to humans."

She nodded, seeing a grin form on his mouth. "Well, a friend of mine provided me with this" Alizar grabbed a semi-transparent flask from his belt, seemingly enjoying the confused stare of his prisoner.

Said prisoner saw there was some weird, gooey liquid inside the tiny container. "It allows me to control the Eldergrimm's power to an extent" he merely said, his smile only growing as Ruby's eyes opened wide in horror.

"You…you were the one that made me see all these frightening dreams!" He licked his lips in satisfaction "not only you, of course. I admit you were my primary focus, but the nightmares were intended to affect you all."

She gasped as he continued. "Belladonna and Schnee reacted marvelously, trying to hide it in order to not exhaust you even more. Honestly, it was so pathetic seeing it that-"

A wet, slimy projectile hit Alizar's face, cutting him off. It was warm and disgusting and he reactively used his hand to wipe it off. He looked at it and immediately realized what had happened.

Ruby had just spit on his face.

He turned at her, his anger rising by the second, and met her equally angry stare. "Don't think that just because I am cuffed, you can insult my family and get away with it!"

"That's it- you ARE DEAD!" he punched Ruby again. And again. And again. Kicks followed soon enough and when Alizar got bored with them, he punched the petite huntress a few more times.

And, despite the pain growing every single moment with every single hit and every single furious attack, she endured. There was no way she was giving him the satisfaction of screaming or shouting.

She might have been sympathizing with what happened to the Red Family, but that was another issue. There were limits and Cinder's crazy brother had already passed a lot of them to begin with.

Finally, the assault stopped. The redhead stood over the battered and bruised girl, panting and breathing heavily. "You think you are so tough, don't you? I bet you feel sorry for us, because you are such a _hero._"

"Your words, not mine" she responded. "You have suffered a lot, but you are not the only ones. Hit me as much as you want, that doesn't change what happened."

"You bitch…" he sounded exhausted as well. Ruby was sure he was restraining himself a lot to not kill her. But she had never begged for her life before; she wouldn't change that now.

"You hurt and insulted my family" she added. "Even if I ignore Pyrrha and Uncle Qrow, your sister killed hundreds of innocents when she let Grimm loose into Vale. There is no excuse for that."

"What do you KNOW?!" he roared again. "My sister wanted the maidens' powers to kill Salem! SHE WOULD HAVE SAVED THE WORLD IF NOT FOR YOU!"

"I figured as much" Ruby calmly replied. That was true; Cinder's parting words and actions had made the reaper truly consider the Fall Maiden's actions had some different ulterior motive than the obvious one.

"But that is no different than what Ozpin did; sacrificing innocents in the name of 'the greater good'. At least he had the tiny bit of dignity to drag only trained warriors in his mess."

The man's eyes opened wide and Ruby steeled herself for the next round of beating. But it never came. Instead, Alizar stood in front of her, looking at the silver-eyed girl in a very calm and cold demeanor.

Having Weiss Schnee as a partner had trained her to recognize this was the worst kind of anger- and the scariest one.

"You have quite the big mouth. But it's fine" he finally said. "I wonder if you will still be acting smart once you see your beloved ones' final moments."

She prayed he didn't detect her entire body going pale in horror. "What… do you mean?" she stumbled. "Oh, losing our cool there? Perhaps I should have told you from the beginning."

"The reason you all are here is simple; you will be sacrificed to awaken Avyssos. And the reason you are still alive is simple as well. I want you to be the last tribute to it- I want you to see and hear each one of your so-called family die in agony and pain."

Her eyes drifted to Jaune and her lips trembled. "Don't worry; he will be the last one before you" Alizar laughed haughtily. "The opening act is a much different one; it includes a pretty little princess."

"No…" she gasped. "What did you…? WHAT DID YOU DO TO WEISS?" The man simply laughed even louder. "I did nothing more than throw her inside there" he pointed towards the pit.

"You are lying; Weiss would never lose to you." "Having misplaced faith in her is quite pathetic. Schnee was even easier to succumb to her nightmares than you."

"Don't worry" he quickly added as Ruby started tearing up. "I made sure to not let her die by the fall." If possible, his lips curved even more, making his face look even more sinister in the sickly green light.

"However, she is weaponless and without any dust to protect herself. When she realizes the terror that lives down under, she will wish that I had killed her."

Ruby didn't reply; she merely hung her head to hide her tears. "I hope you have good hearing" he cackled.

"After all, I would hate you missing her dying screams and pleads for help as the Atlesian bitch is getting eaten alive piece by piece. A pity the strongest member of her team got captured so easily."

Alizar grabbed her hair. "At least Cherry is strong enough to bring the other two alive. Torturing them in front of you will be so fun. I will start with that stupid bimbo of your sister."

Ruby raised her head. She stared at the man with dried tears in her eyes- _and started laughing_.


	36. From a Deep Pit to a High Peak

**Hello everyone. How are you doing? I hope you had a Merry Christmas and that you will have a Great New Year!**

**Chapter 36 is here. I hope, as usual that you enjoy it! See you all next week with chapter 37! **

* * *

Pain was nothing to Weiss. Even if she wanted to carve her nerves out of her body at the moment. No, pain was no issue. Training with Yang every day would get anyone accustomed to it.

What she would never be able to overcome, however, was the sense of disgust she felt in her body as she turned over and opened her eyes, seeing only darkness.

She looked up. There was only one tiny little green light quite many meters above her. She could easily climb up there, but a quick check revealed all her equipment missing.

It didn't take much for the girl to add two and two together; someone had attacked her while she was busy dealing with her hallucinations and tossed her down here, either to imprison or let her die.

Thus, she was disgusted at this point. Disgusted with her, that was. Being defeated that easily was one thing, but letting Ruby wide open was unacceptable, no matter how powerful her partner was.

_Failing once more in the most critical moment; good job, there Schnee. Why don't you retire and take up cooking- or stamp collecting for a change? You could have Ruby teach you sewing, too._

Well, there was no time for self-pity at the moment. The visibility was so poor; she could barely see her own skin. Taking a few minutes to make sure there were no heavy injuries on her legs and arms, she got up.

The feeling of her hair falling over her face and back of her neck made her realize she had lost her hairpin.

Holding a much inappropriate comment back, she was relieved to find out her white customized velvet gloves were still in her pocket. She put them on, the sense of them envelop her fingers immediately lifting her spirits.

_Now, where am I? _She rubbed her fingers to remove the sore feeling. She would most likely have to-

A pulse of energy, accompanied by a heavy shockwave, made her halt her thought process. And then, light shone upon her, making the ex-heiress momentarily shut her eyes.

She opened them again. The light was bright, pulsing, and had a sickly green color. It was tiring her eyes, but she paid no heed. And how could she?

The first thing Weiss Schnee saw was that she truly was inside some sort of colossal cavern. She was standing on a rocky platform at its bottom, next to a pool of sea water.

It wasn't that wide, just a large pseudo-circular opening in diameter, but the rune-carved walls rose very high, making her deduce she was a lot of meters below the surface.

Next to her were a few abandoned diving suits and equipment and around them scattered was a quite impressive collection of jewelry and invaluable-looking pieces of art made of solid gold.

But not even the considerable-sized fortune lying at her feet held Weiss' attention for more than a few seconds. How could it, when _that _was in front of her?

The feeling of dread and horror that filled her very soul was so powerful; she wondered why it took her so long to realize it. It created all sorts of negative emotions in her- things she didn't even know could be felt to begin with.

In the middle of the cave, suspended by a powerful system of heavy iron chains covered in runes that seemed to resonate with these filling the cavern walls, was a towering semi-transparent blue crystal.

Its size was phenomenal; it started just above the pool and rose far above away from where her feeble eyesight could reach. The green light seemed to grow out of it and shoot up to the sky through the opening.

And the worst part was inside the crystal. Weiss averted her eyes for quite a few minutes, to compose her nerves and steel her heart.

Because what she saw was nothing less than a vast mass of black goo, filled with white bone masks and sinister-looking red eyes that _moved _and stared at her, even despite encased in that prison for Dust knows how many eons!

She took one little step forward. Her senses were heightened and her entire body was screaming in pure terror. _This is wrong!_

She had fought many monsters during the last five years, but couldn't even hide her fear in front of the sinister and powerful aura seeping from it. _Even the Eldergrimm in Yugure pales in comparison to that!_

The gooey flesh pulsed once more beneath its solid casing. _This thing is…wrong! It shouldn't exist… it can't possibly exist! What sort of wicked mind gave birth to such an abomination?_

Another pulse sent a shockwave inside the cave and made her fall back. She lost her footing and fell next to the pile of golden tokens, accidentally stepping on one of them.

The pain snapped her out of the trance and she gratefully picked the aforementioned statue, taking a few seconds to inspect it.

She let her elegant, glove-covered finger ran above its surface. Its craftsmanship was superior and the beauty behind the detailed design was matched only by the ones she found up in the mansion.

But the theme on itself was harrowing. It depicted an amorphous maze devouring a large ship and splitting it in half. Around, tiny little people were gathered in circle, like some form of primal praying ritual.

The entire scene was gruesome and so finely detailed. Weiss felt as if the maze's numerous eyes focused on her the moment she-

_Wait!_ A dreadful thought passed through her mind. She looked at the others; all of them showed different scenes but had the same masterful craftsmanship and equally disturbing motifs.

The most important one, though, was a small idol that resembled the thing staring at her through the thick crystal; small figures of humans were carved to bowing in front of it.

Weiss Schnee gulped. _These are not simple jewels and sunken pieces of treasure!_ She stared at the abomination sealed in front of her. _These are religious offerings! _

Her mind went to all the little things that seemed out of place; the lack of mining equipment she had in her haste ignored. The outdated tunnel system and the existence of a gold refinery without any other proper facility!

"Octavios Red wasn't mining gold; he was looting an ancient temple where people offered these to the Frozen God of the island!" she face-palmed in a very Yang-like manner.

"He used the refinery to melt the idols into bars and then sell them to the Mistralians! I am such a fool! This place was cursed hundreds of years before any huntsman set foot on it!"

"Well done" a voice interrupted her monologue. Weiss' surprise was so big that she dropped the idol, making a loud metal sound as it rolled towards the owner of the very familiar voice.

She turned around and looked at the woman standing in front of the pool. She was tall and had a proud look on her face, with beautiful, elegant features that resembled her own.

Long, platinum white hair was tied up in a bun and deep blue eyes stared at her. She had a beautiful, voluptuous body that was carefully concealed by a white and blue military uniform.

"Or should I say, _well done sister?" _her voice was as cool and professional as Weiss remembered it; she could even feel the hidden warmth underneath it.

Or not. Weiss didn't know what _that thing_ was, but it clearly wasn't her sister. There was no warmth behind her words, no gentle affection the likes of which Win reserved only for her and no one else.

Therefore, it couldn't be her. Besides, Winter Schnee was long dead. "Because you killed her" the figure spoke her thoughts, smirking deviously.

"Who are you?" Weiss replied monotonously. "Me?" she raised a pale hand in a mocking gesture. It seemed so alien on her sister, Weiss' fear and disgust started giving way to something more primal. Anger.

"Why, I am Winter Schnee of course. Praised by men all over Atlas for her looks. Praised by teachers for her skills and intellect. Hand-picked by the General himself for her potential as a huntress."

Her lips parted slightly in a haughty smirk. "Your idol. The _perfect woman_. The big sister that protected you from daddy's wrath. I am the one who died for your sake in Atlas, because you decided to stand up to Watts' schemes."

"Nice trick. But I would expect a figment of my imagination to know all these; you are not making me anything but angry at this point." Weiss replied as the woman slowly moved in front of her.

"Is that so?" she gave an even deeper smirk. "Is this an illusion too?" Weiss reacted quickly and parried the slash aimed for her neck with her arm, groaning as her aura absorbed the impact- and died.

The half-expected contact with what she believed to be an illusion and the shock from her aura breaking so easily let Weiss wide open.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" the scream echoed inside the entire cave, as pain covered the huntresses' left eye. Reacting in time, Weiss flared up her aura again just in time to protect from Winter's thrust.

The hit threw Weiss on the wall, just on top of the pile of idols. But her enemy didn't follow. She just stood there, smiling in a wicked manner that seemed more suitable on Cinder's face than her sister's.

On the other hand, Weiss gasped and breather heavily. Blood dripped down on her glove-covered hand by her left eye. The pain was so severe, she had to bite her lips to not faint from it.

She slowly stood up and opened her- cold fear washed her back. Her left eye wasn't working! She could only see the creature posing as her sister- now she was sure it was a monster- from her right one!

"Now that's a scar!" it cackled. Weiss pressed her arm harder, trying to stop the bleeding. Her aura had already returned and, despite already working on healing it, her vision wasn't improving- or the head-splitting pain.

"Who are you; and don't give me the same stupid answer again. I _know_ you are not Winter." The thing-Winter's smile dropped and got replaced by an arrogant grin.

"I told you already" the water behind her rippled. "I am Winter." Weiss heard a splashing sound and immediately after that, figures started coming out from the pool.

Her hair stood on edge. The things that climbed out from it had small, human-like bodies the color of the darkest night. Their heads were fish-like and were covered by a white-skull mask. Small tendrils were protruding from their chins.

Gleaming red eyes stared hungrily at her, as their clawed and membrane-covered toes and fingers dripped sea water. _They are like the ones we saw up there in the fog!_

Winter's face had changed too- her eyes had swapped their original color for sinister red and a small, skull-shaped mask now covered her beautiful face. Her lips, visible underneath, were still grinning.

It was all so surreal, she had to blink a few times to manage process it. She wasn't sure this was happening and wasn't merely a byproduct of the headache. She pressed the wound even more, despite the bleeding having stopped already.

"More accurately, I am a projection of your conscience taking her form. You did well, creating such a marvelous predator, Weiss Schnee." The things, as if obeying her sister, spread around, circling Weiss.

"You are a Grimm. Just like them" she hissed. The thing's smile totally froze. "Just like them? You are way off the mark, huntress. We are different. You are closer to those servants than me."

Weiss took a few steps back to the wall to gain some distance from her advanced enemies. "We are the power of the God Himself. Possessing abilities and concepts your frail mind can't even process."

She grinned again, her voice only a tad above the soundless echoes of the fish-like monstrosities' footsteps as they swarmed Weiss' vision.

"We are Avyssos; and you are our sacrifice."

-o—

"I hope we did the right choice" Yang commented for the 16th time to Blake, as they scaled the tunnel leading them upwards. "It was the most sensible choice; this door had been opened recently."

"I just hoped they didn't do it to confuse us" she replied for the 16th time as well. "I see an opening; and a green pulsing light in it."

"Then let's go" the blonde commented and both of them picked up the pace. They stormed out in the open and found themselves on a mountainside.

"I can see the ocean on our right…" Blake said. "And a huge-ass pillar of evil light in front" Yang added. "It's still night; that's good. I thought we would have wasted more time down there."

"I can't see the mansion or the village. But I _can_ see a trail ahead of us. Shall we?" Yang nodded "Right behind you, kitten."

Both girls rushed forward, weapons armed and ready to strike. They ran past dark rocks, bathed in greenish light, and then found themselves in front of a stone bridge over a deep, dark chasm.

And a kimono-clad, masked figure with a naginata waiting for them on its other side.

"Shit" Yang cursed. "I had a feeling we would come across her again. And as our luck would have it, she came in the worst possible moment."

Blake didn't comment except for a nod of approval. Her attention was entirely focused on the weird-looking woman. She was getting a lot of Menagerie honor guard vibes from her stance and that horrified her.

Her mask resembled the White Fang's a lot; however it had a more artistic touch to it. A lot of effort seemed to have been put into making it. Even the high-ranking officers didn't have such elaborate ones.

"I am glad you came. I had started getting worried." Her voice was brimming with confidence, as before. "Cut the crap; where are Ruby and Weiss?" Yang shouted.

"Alizar has them both. You can save them, if you get past me" she replied. "Why are you doing this?" Blake asked. "Yang and Weiss told me you are not like him. Why-"

"Pointless discussion bores me, Ms. Belladonna. I only accept it over tea and scones and only in my days off." She spun her weapon and both girls felt her aura pulse.

"A word of advice; don't go easy on me. It will spoil my fun. Let me also mention that you don't have as much time as you think you do."

The Bumblebee duo exchanged a quick stare. "I know you have many questions Blakey, but-" "sorry, my mistake. Let's take her down Yang."

The huntresses jumped forward and started running across the bridge immediately before Cherry activated her semblance at them.

-o—

"Hahahaha…hahaaaaa!" Ruby's laughter was the last thing Alizar expected to hear at this point. "Have you finally lost it, girl? Did your spirit-"

"You are so like your sister. You underestimate us way too much." "What are you talking about you bitch?" He pulled her hair up, but Ruby didn't even flinch.

"Blake and Yang getting beaten in a straight fight? The strongest pair in the entire Remnant?" Ruby gave a haughty smile; one rising from the deaths of her heart.

-o—

Weiss exhaled deeply. _Cinder Fall, I will have to thank you. If not for you, I would be in a very tight spot_. She closed her eyes- and snapped her fingers.

-o—

"Weiss Schnee, my partner, dying just because you took her weapons and supplies?" She shot him a confident glare. "I never was the strongest member of team RWBY. She was, is and always will be."

-o—

Winter's eyes opened wide in surprise. First, the cornered huntress had stepped forward and snapped her fingers. Immediately after that, blue light erupted from her gloves, gathering all around her petite body.

And, before any of the Grim could react, the lights burst forward creating a large flower made of ice. Its huge petals pierced all the Grimm around, tearing off their flesh and made them dissolve in black dust.

"How did you-" "Prof. Bartholomew Oobleck had told me once that a seasoned warrior learns not only by their comrades, but also from their enemies."

She opened her palm, blue energy sizzling around her velvet-covered fingers. "Cinder Fall gave me the idea of sewing dust in clothes. And, as always, my partner delivered."

The thing-Winter moved forward. Along with her, even more fish-headed Grimm started pouring out, following her advance. "Big words coming out of the girl that killed her sister, wouldn't you say?"

Weiss' lips turned into a thin, flat line. Her right eye shone, illuminated both by the green pillar in the middle and the blue dust around her body.

"Yes, I killed her. I was too careless and fell under Watt's trap. She sacrificed herself to free me, allowing him to inject her with his mind-controlling potion."

She exhaled once more, as her enemies got closer "we fought and I killed her. She may have been the one who pushed my hand inside her chest, but I was the one who failed to stop her."

"So, you admit it. You are your sister's killer. You are the one who stole her bright future from her." the thing stopped in front of her, ready to strike within a moment's notice.

But this time she wouldn't give it the chance to do so. "Yes, and I will carry this burden with me for the rest of my life. I will always remember that it was my lack of skill that killed her."

Weiss then did something that perplexed her enemy. She curled her fingers into a punch and swirled them.

Before It-Winter could attack, a shower of frost spikes erupted below, impaling all the Grimm and instantly destroying them.

As agile as her sister, the skull-faced thing jumped backwards with a series of pirouettes, evading all her attacks.

But that even fueled her blazing anger even more. "Above all, however, Winter Schnee died in the line of duty as a huntress who fought for the future of Remnant, protecting the ones she held dear in her heart."

Cyan eye pulsed, as Weiss gathered even more energy in her gloves, making them glow a deep blue light. The thing stood up, looking at her hatefully.

"Grab your weapons, monster! I don't care what you are- human, Grimm, or even God- you will pay for defiling my sister's memory!"

It-Winter's gaze intensified behind the mask and despite not breaking her stance, Weiss felt an abysmal chill permeate her body as a tiny, little whisper entered her ears.

_**"We will see about that, offering."**_


	37. Struggle for Survival

**Hello again! How are you all doing? Chapter 37 is here. I really hope you enjoy what you have been reading and what I intend to do as the finale of the Arc. **

**Thank you all once more (yes I never get tired of thanking you) for following, favoring or even simply reading the story. See you next week! **

* * *

Among all her peers and excluding Nora, Blake knew Yang was the one with the tendency to exaggerate the most.

Her partner would always try to impress them, mostly Ruby to be fair, with tell-tale stories of heroism and the defeat of immensely powerful opponents.

That was the reason the more sensible members of RWBY rarely gave her any credit. Instead, they were meeting her tales with skepticism and some low-key dark humor.

As Blake went airborne, falling down the bridge for the fourth time in a few minutes, she immediately decided this was not one of these times. Yang was definitely not exaggerating when she described how powerful their enemy had been.

Using a shadow clone as a stepping stone, the faunus jumped back on the stony path above the chasm. Right next to her landed her partner who had used a few shots to propel her body back to safety again.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, another graviton blast raked them, sending both huntresses backwards. They tumbled and resisted, but finally gave up and were hurled away, crashing on the rocky terrace.

Blake grabbed the edge of the bridge and managed to escape another fall, while Yang merely pirouetted mid-air and sent another artillery shot to regain her position.

"…" the faunus jumped up and stared at their enemy. Cherry hadn't moved at all, focusing only on sending them these all-powerful blasts. She was sure she could see her smile beneath the Nuckelavee mask.

"I told you; she is really powerful" the blonde girl finally exclaimed. "We haven't even managed to threaten her yet, or even get closer!"

"The terrain helps her too; she can freely use her powers to throw us back or repel any ranged attacks we make. Plus, if we get too careless and charge with all our might, she may pull in and skewer us with her polearm."

_Seems she has a few tactical bones in that pretty body of hers_. Yang growled. The only useful thing they had managed to find out so far was that her gravity control had quite the small range.

That again, was useless since _they _were the ones in a hurry and _she_ was guarding the passage. "Time passes fast; what do we do, Blakey?"

The faunus looked at their enemy again; she was waiting, probably regaining a few ounces of her spent power, while they were standing there.

_Back at the beach, Weiss used her glyphs to counter all the pull and push tricks Cherry had used_, Blake thought. _But Weiss is not here and we only have fire dust with us. A pretty straightforward fight it will be._

That, on itself, gave them a disadvantage. Those kinds of fights favored the ones who had advantageous positions or immense power and truth be told, the Bumblebee duo was more effective in close-range combat.

_We need a diversion to get closer. We… need a diversion! _"Blakey? Are you-" "Yang" she cut her partner off. "Can you please jump at her and use some fire dust to attack? I will handle the rest."

"Oh" Yang whispered. "I thought you hated Cougar and Dragon!" "It's _Cat_ and Dragon" Blake rolled her eyes. "Will you do it?" Yang grinned and started moving forward.

Cherry saw her enemies discussing and tensed every single muscle on her body. Usually making plans in the middle of combat was reckless, but there was no point abandoning her favorable ground to disrupt them.

_Besides_, she smiled, _if they manage to overcome the bridge and reach me, things will get even more interesting._

Xiao Long broke away from Belladonna and started running towards her. Cherry dropped her smile and narrowed her eyes. A few more meters and the tall woman would be within striking range.

Then, all of a sudden, she jumped high. Immediately after that, her partner ran forward across the bridge, sword in hand for a quick thrust.

_An air-ground attack combo? Are they that desperate? _She opened her palm and focused her power, creating a huge dome-shaped gravity pulse, to simultaneously repel both of them.

Blake jumped as well, right behind her partner who was using her gauntlets shots to prolong her flight. Just before the wave hit them, a clone appeared right below Yang.

Stepping on Blake-clone's head, the brawler jumped even higher. The dome struck them both, crushing the faunus' image and sending her real body falling in the chasm-

Cherry's eyes shot upwards. Yang was falling, as expected, but her consecutive jumps and shots had brought her right above the masked woman.

Her first reaction would have been to blast her again, but Cherry was no amateur. Her senses tingled, her body screamed. She could feel it- someone coming for her.

The kimono-clad woman jumped backwards, a few seconds before Nightfall's blade sliced at her previous spot, followed by Yang creating a crater in the place with her landing.

Jumping up from the chasm, Blake stepped next to her partner, her stoic face focused on the cherry-haired faunus.

"She saw through us" was the only thing that came out of Belladonna's mouth. "At least now we are next to her" Yang cracked her fingers. "You have given us a tough time, lady."

There was no response. No talk, nothing. Not even a laugh to reply to the blonde's comment.

She looked at the enemy faunus slowly standing up, grabbing her weapon tighter. She then realized the woman was smiling under her mask.

Her vision blurred, images of a blonde boy with a monkey tail getting sliced over his chest, his blood falling over her face. His gasp of pain echoed in the cavern-

Blake immediately kicked Yang out of the way, earning a huge slash at her abdomen. Her powerful reflexes kicked in and she teleported away, avoiding the hit. Cherry spun on her left leg and kicked Yang.

"What the-" the blonde skidded back, trying to avoid falling over the edge "stay alert!" the yellow-eyed woman shouted at her partner, while her gaze never left their enemy.

She seemed ecstatic; her entire body was tense with anticipation. Her aura was so focused; Blake could swear it was _visible._

There were no sounds coming from her; she could barely hear the warrior breathing under her mask. _Her level of concentration is inhuman!_

"The true battle begins now!" panting, she unclasped Nightfall and moved to the left, effectively having the duo flanking Cherry.

That didn't ease Blake's concerns even in the slightest.

-o—

_**"Surrender"**_

Ignoring the voice in her head, three frozen shards materialized under Weiss' left arm, in response to the blue glyphs she called forth. Spinning her right one, she sent them forward to the advancing horde.

They crashed on the floor, taking down quite a few of them. But not as many as she wanted to. And of course, not It.

She breathed heavily. The ominous presence whispering inside her mind didn't help her unfavorable position.

_**"There is nothing here for you, only death"**_

The fish-Grimm rushed forward, jaws open wide to engulf her, as silent as the deep depths of the sea. Weiss ignored the pain in her left eye and conjured a pillar of ice to trap them.

Her aim was again off; arms, legs and a few bodies were trapped in the protruding pillar, but the entangled things were not dead; if anything, their attempts to move towards her, despite being half-encased in ice were adding to the whole creepy atmosphere.

_**"This is futile. We are numerous; we can't be stopped"**_

"Will you kindly shut up?" she groaned, as It moved towards her. Her breathing got heavier; the feeling of dread had returned. _So much for my previous bold statement!_

White glyphs spread beneath the fake visage, and Winter's lithe body fell upon her, forcing her back.

A slice towards her left side was dodged. She ducked to avoid the follow-up thrust to her head. Spinning her fingers, Weiss created a thin layer of ice between them to avoid the upcoming kick.

Its knee shot was much more powerful than what her sister's should be, cracking the ice with one strike. The voice, of course didn't let the opportunity go to waste.

**_"You can't even defend- not talking about attack"_**

It gave her, however, a few precious seconds to roll forward and start running towards the pool and the continuously spawning mass of enemies.

Utilizing a few high-speed glyphs, she created an array of cold spears that she hurled towards them. Again, however, her aim was off.

The continuous assault impaled many monsters, but quite a few escaped.

**_"You are merely a walking corpse now. Surrender to us."_**

Not only the voice was driving her crazy; the area around her was so thick with energy from that sickly green light. She felt like trapped underwater with someone flashing a torch at her.

Not to mention her left eye still hurt like hell. Its vision hadn't been restored yet, greatly affecting her aim. In other words, she was getting exhausted.

But… "Surrender to you? Don't make me laugh!" her nostrils flared and her heavy breathing intensified. The monsters ran to her. So did It.

"If I can't aim properly…" mimicking her girlfriend, Weiss slammed her knuckles together "…then I will just have to take you all down!" she stretched her arms out, unleashing the full brunt of her semblance.

A humongous white rune spread from the petite girl's body, covering the entire cave's floor. A pulse of blue light rose from it and then materialized.

**_"A futile, hopeless struggle. Nothing but a trifle"_**

It-Winter was the only sensible enough to stop and defend. The colossal burst of cold dust engulfed everything, freezing dry all the lesser Grimm.

It covered the pool, totally sealing its surface. Not even the leak of the Eldergrimm's crystal was spared, getting closed by the immense power of Weiss' frost glyph.

The power then settled down, leaving only the huntress and the insulting miasma copying her sister standing on top of a frozen terrace.

**_"There is only one way to be saved. Offer yourself to us"_**

"Oh, shut up" her head burned. Despite the atmosphere having only so slightly improved, the situation was far less than favorable. She turned around and stared at her enemy.

Red locked on cyan as the SDC ex-heiress exhaled deeply. "So, what will it be? Will you surrender? Or do I have to give you a matching scar?"

Weiss wiped the trail of blood that had formed on her cheek down to her lips. She felt surprisingly calm, even excited? _Yes, I am finally losing it; and for the first time it's not Yang's fault._

"For eons we have received the offerings of those too weak to fight us. Those seeking for our blessing; our mercy and protection."

**_"Offerings of gold, blood and soul"_**

"Human sacrifices and religious idol offerings" she didn't know if the newfound burning sensation was from her wound getting worse or from her growing anger.

"What need would you -a Grimm- have of gold?" It laughed as it licked its pink-reddish lips. "Fear. Fear nourishes us. It makes us stronger, more livid. It's our existence's sole purpose."

**_"Human emotions are powerful. The most powerful ones are fear and despair that follow after hope is taken away"_**

It took her a few seconds to realize. After connecting the dots, she wished she hadn't even understood what this meant.

"You… cultivated humans. You asked them for religious offerings to keep them in fear of you and then crushed their hopes by demanding blood sacrifices!"

"Once every few years, on a particularly beautiful moon" the masked enemy raised her hand as if talking to the twisted being above her in an ecstatic fashion.

"Hoping to alleviate the Gods with gold, only to realize the blood and soul must be forfeited once more…the despair at the end of hope when one's flesh is crushed by our fangs… a true delicacy…."

**_"It has been so long since we last feasted. So long we haven't tasted the exquisite blessing of human flesh."_**

Weiss trembled. _What am I hearing? If this is not a dream, then this world is far more twisted than Salem ever imagined!_

She curled her fists into balls. _This thing, this monster that is Grimm only in name, it can never leave this place!_

**_"This is not for you to decide"_**

"Your time is up" the masked warrior born of her fears and regrets raised her swords. "Nothing can save you now, _sacrifice_."

-o—

The harrowing scream that burst from the well could only belong to Weiss; Ruby could never mistake her for everyone else.

"Ah, did you hear that? I know you did; no reason to deny it." Alizar stepped closer to her. "How does it feel? I can only imagine what piece of Schnee was torn apart to make her scream like that.

Ruby didn't reply. She believed in Weiss. The sound of her best friend in pain had frozen her blood, but she still believed in her- she was Weiss; she _had_ to pull through.

And, of course, there was no way she would ever give that monster the satisfaction of watching her suffering. "It's combat; people get hurt."

"I know you can't even convince yourself about that, Little Red" Alizar walked away and stepped closer to Jaune. "What are you-" he picked up something from next to the boy and turned around to face her.

Ruby's eyes opened wide. Alizar was holding a sword; a long, one-handed sword with a green handle and pommel resembling vines. The blade was silver and had green vines carved all over it, with four small red rubies resembling roses along them.

"That doesn't belong to you" she added grimly. "Neither to you- it was that foolish girl's weapon." He walked back and stood in front of her again.

_So, he did have ties with Yugure after all, _she thought_. I wonder how many allies he has_. "The stupid girl that foolishly died in Yugure for no reason at all" he added laughing.

"Shut up. Melia Pale was her name and she didn't die without reason. She saved many- AH!" without any remorse, the redhead boy pierced the tip of the blade into Ruby's shoulder.

"You were saying?" he pressed even more, making the huntress clench her teeth to stifle the cry of pain rising from her throat.

"T-torture me all you want; it doesn't change what happened. And it doesn't change what you are." Alizar grabbed her bloodied chin and raised her head in front of his.

"She was a fool; clinging to something as useless and pathetic as hope. There is no hope in the real world Rose, only a temporary glimpse of fake happiness. And those fools like you who believe it!"

"How sad… and how wrong you are…AGHHH!" she nearly cried, as the man stirred the sword while still in her shoulder. "You have such a big mouth- why don't you shut up?"

"Make me…" she gasped "but even if you kill me, I refuse to give up." The fury in his amber eyes as she rose her own to meet him was astonishing.

"You are seriously not realizing you are marching to your death, right?" he pointed towards the pillar and the circle of runes that was slowly pulsing, the thick goo absorbing the light and sending it inside the opening.

"The ritual has already started. The only thing it requires is an offering of blood. As soon as Schnee dies, the pulse will gleam red and the ancient God of the deep will rise once more in Remnant."

"Weiss will not- AAAH!" he twisted again, this time pressing inside her flesh. "DIDN'T I SAY TO SHUT UP? NO MORE BULLSHIT POSITIVE PREACHING! YOU ARE MAKING ME WANT TO PUKE!"

"Ahh…it hurts…aaahhhh…" he pushed forward and spat at Ruby's face. "This is for her, Ruby Rose. You took my sister, my hero, away. I will savor every moment of this."

He plucked the sword out and the same moment Ruby's left hand grabbed Alizar's sword-wielding fingers. "Please… you can still stop…"

"So, now you are begging, huh?" he grinned. "Let me tell you something; not only I won't stop, I will cut you as carefully as possible to keep you alive."

"Please…" "After Schnee is killed and Cherry brings the other two here, I will carve them and offer them to the awakening Avyssos. It will devour them in front of your very eyes."

"I don't believe it…" she tightened her fingers on top of his, but she was too weak to even challenge him for the sword. After all, even if she took it, he could simply use his semblance and crush her arm with it.

"Finally, I will let it devour Arc and you together. You will be reunited with him in the afterlife and I really hope it will let you live enough so that you will beg for the good that doesn't exist to-"

"Thank Dust you are stupid" a clicking sound disrupted his monologue. Before he could even process Ruby's words, a fiery blast engulfed them both, destroying the stone prison she was being held on.

-o-

Alizar got up; a cloud of dust obscured his vision. His ears were dizzy and his body was bleeding, but thankfully he still had some reserves.

He flared his aura- a rose petal was the only thing he managed to see before a huge slash destroyed his aura again and sent him on his knees.

"AAAGH!" he groaned in pain. The only response was another slash through the dust cloud. He rolled away and raised a stone wall that absorbed the brunt of the hit before shattering.

"YOU BITCH!" he screamed, as he used his semblance to shoot the dust away, revealing his opponent.

Ruby Rose was standing in front of the chasm. Her clothes were torn and her cloak was tattered and burnt. Pieces of her chains were still hanging from her arms and legs.

Her face was half swollen by the blast and the beating she had received earlier today, but her eyes were shining with determination. And anger. She held the sword in her left hand, the small gem roses shining with fire dust.

"You just can't GIVE UP, can you!?" he spat blood on the ground as he flared his aura again. "How much of a foolish idealist can you be?!"

"After your sister and Watts killed my uncle and Winter and framed us for Ironwood's murder in Atlas three years ago, we got imprisoned by the kingdom" Ruby replied flatly.

"It was the only time in my life I gave up; the worst four days of my life. I felt like I could never be happy again. It took all of us quite some time to get over it and start moving on once more."

Ruby clutched her heart "people like the huntsmen who attacked you for money and people like you, who use their suffering to justify hurting others, don't have any right to speak ill of our determination!"

Alizar stiffened, ready to attack her. Her eyes opened wide in a rare display of pride. "So, I will say it only once; spare me the self-righteous talk."

Eyebrows furred as the girl's expression changed to fury and she grabbed her weapon with both hands. "Come on; I will show you first-hand what a true huntress is like."

_And, hopefully, this way I can prevent one more pointless death in the name of vengeance. _

* * *

**P.S Many thanks to my two proofreaders and fellow RWBY enthusiasts Elia and Fenia. You are the best. Really. **


	38. Tenacity's Rewards

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? Chapter 38 is up and as always I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thank you all so much for supporting my story! I will see you next week! **

* * *

Nightfall parried the powerful thrust. Blake tried to slide her blade towards Cherry's body, but the fox girl swung hard. Like, _really_ hard; the immense power of the blow sent her a few meters away.

Yang jumped on their enemy from behind, punching her defenseless back. Without even looking, the girl hit her with the Naginata's shaft.

The force wasn't so much, but the strong gravitational blast accompanying it, threw Yang away as well. She landed on her feet and braced for what she knew was coming.

Cherry rushed at her and attacked with a star-patterned series of cuts, aiming to severe her legs and arms.

Assuming her boxing stance, Yang punched away with her fists all the powerful blows, allowing just a few slices to fuel her upcoming retaliation.

Nightfall's slices surrounded the kimono-clad woman. A storm of steel descended- their enemy stomped the ground, throwing the unclasped blade off-rhythm with a gravity wave.

Exactly as the brawler expected her to do. Yang kicked at Cherry's midriff with her left leg, allowing her to block with her weapon.

She immediately used her left hand to grab the faunus' kimono and punched with her right one, using both her semblance and Ember Celica to add to the impact.

Cherry immediately used her gravity blast to throw Yang away, but she was too close to her. The only thing she managed to do was break free from the blonde's grip and jump back to reduce the impact.

The sound of bone splinter as Yang's metal arm crashed the fox woman's mask made the huntress scream in triumph. Their enemy flew backwards, throwing white pieces of her broken headgear along the way.

She immediately activated her powers and prevented her body from crashing on the rocks. She stood up, mouth and left eye visible through the remains of the Nuckelavee face.

_And here was I, thinking Xiao Long and Schnee were strong! Those two are on a different scale! They are not that versatile, but their fundamental coordination and tactics are unreal, even by my standards!_

Yang and Blake stood next to each other, eyes slightly widening in surprise as their enemy tossed away the mask and looked at them in a serious manner.

They found themselves face to face with a young woman, with feral green eyes and pink thin lips. She had fair skin, despite her entire face and body brimming with energy.

"Wow, she is cute" Yang blurted. "That's the first thing that came to your mind!?" Blake chastised her.

"Why thanks" she smiled softly "and goodbye." Shooting her semblance backwards, Cherry propelled her body forward with immense speed.

She arrived before them at a moment's notice, her blade whirling like a windmill, aiming to severe Yang's head. The slice was empowered by her gravity manipulation and was so powerful, even guarding against it would guarantee the loss of an arm of a weapon against it.

That would be the case, if not for Blake being one of her enemies.

Those who didn't know the faunus of team RWBY well, would only hear stories about her war traumas. About the horrible images of her slaughtering her fiancé during combat any time her mind wavered a little.

About the sleeping pills she had been forced to take the first months until his discharge from the hospital. About how she had been suspended from missions for two months because of her lack of self-control.

But her close people, her comrades and friends knew better. They knew how much Blake had trained to get past the horrible hallucinations.

They knew how much she had fought to finally be able to reduce their appearances and learn to accept their existence, despite how hard it was on her nerves.

They knew how she had managed to train her body and mind to react faster. How much she had used them as driving force; so that she could become skilled enough to prevent them from appearing.

So, the moment she realized their enemy attacking them and the sound of Sun's screaming filled her ears, Blake Belladonna whirled her blade and captured her partner's leg.

Yang got double confused, first by suddenly losing her balance and falling down and second by seeing a silver line of death passing by the place where her neck should have been.

"Shoot her!" Thankfully, having to work with Blake could easily make one ready for on-spot weird improvisations; something Yang Xiao Long excelled in.

A missile launched at the faunus' stomach. Almost instinctively, she deflected it away with her powers- sending it to blow on their feet.

The blast engulfed them all and threw them away. Rock shards shot towards every direction and the thick cloud of dust that rose was accompanied by three sets of gasps and coughs.

A few seconds later, the dust settled down, revealing the three women, with minor burn marks and bruises all over their bodies. All of them had their auras broken as well.

"Are you sure you are not some kind of battle-forged robot or something?" Yang shouted. "You deflected a missile shot from point blank!"

"Your maneuver was most impressive as well- if I didn't know I would believe your semblance is foresight Ms. Belladonna" Cherry solemnly answered.

The black-haired girl didn't even reply. She only drew Envelop and showered her fellow faunus with bullets. Briefly surprised, the warrior ducked to the left and charged forward.

She parried and deflected most of the bullets Blake continued to shoot at her, closing the distance between them to attack with her Naginata.

As soon as Blake stopped to reload, Yang jumped between them. Cherry thrust at her head, but the brawler deflected the slice with her metal arm.

The faunus swapped her gun for her sword. Taking advantage of the situation, she tumbled forward and flanked her enemy.

To the surprise of no one, Cherry didn't even budge. A horizontal slash gave Yang a cut in the arm. The bumblebee pair retaliated by punching and cutting towards the girl's left arm.

Blake attacked the girl's calf. Nightfall got deflected by the Naginata's shaft. Yang tried to punch her face, her arm meeting the weapon's blade.

Yang pressed on, forcing Cherry to parry the attacks. Blake thrust at her back, forcing her to sidestep- a powerful kick from the blonde girl made her fall on her knee.

Yang raised her fist to- even while kneeling, Cherry swiped her legs with the polearm, throwing her on the ground. "GAH!" taking advantage of that, Blake unclasped Nightfall and whirled it around the fox girl's stomach.

The wires entangled their enemy, and Blake tightened the grip, allowing the blade parts to slightly cut off the woman's skin. The green-eyed girl flipped her weapon to try and cut them off-

Yang jumped at her and tossed it away. She then raised her fist and stood next to Blake in front of their adversary. Both of them were significantly injured, with cuts, bruises and caked blood all over their skin.

Their captive exhaled deeply and both of them stared at her as she nodded. "It was a great fight; this is your victory." Yang wiped her bloodied nose "it barely feels like that. But anyway; where are the others?"

"Up ahead. And I suggest you hurry- there is barely any time left for the ritual to end." Blake raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

A soft smile graced the faunus' thin lips. "From the moment we captured your friends, there has been a ritual going on in the place. Judging from the position of the moon, it should be close to it end."

"A ritual about what?" Yang asked, as she pulled a rope out of Weiss' backpack and started tying her up to allow Blake retract her weapon.

"It is a ritual to sacrifice all of you and awaken Avyssos; the Eldergrimm that sleeps sealed below the island" she nonchalantly replied.

The pair exchanged a horrified stare. Yang made a motion to run forward, but Blake motioned her to stop. She turned to her fellow faunus and asked "why are you telling us this?"

"Lying is simply not my style. Besides, it changes nothing; there is no way you would ever flee and abandon your friends to be fed to the God below, is it?"

"Well, you are right. But it pisses me off that you are so sure about it." Cherry chuckled. "It is an admirable trait. I really think very high of you four, you know."

"Well, for what's worth, you are one of the toughest enemies I have ever faced; Grimm and maidens included" the huntress replied. "But there is no time for chit-chat."

Blake nodded and both of them ran forward, leaving the tied-up girl behind. A few moments afterwards, Cherry started whispering.

The slow, rhythmic chanting of the girl got louder, as her talisman shone. She felt her body hair stand as the green hue surrounded her, slowly closing her wounds.

She felt the energy pulsing around the place. The pillar of green light slowly resonated with the darkness around it, dying the air in its sickening color.

She stopped her prayer, and immediately looked up towards the ritual site. "I did my part in stalling them; time to do yours, you fool." She then turned her eyes towards her waist. "Now, for those ropes…"

-o—

A glyph burst below it and the monster charged. As expected, it thrust at her left side, aiming for her blind spot. Weiss expected it of course and conjured a wall of frost to absorb the impact.

Grimm Winter used her other arm and conjured a pulsing red glyph. Through it, a flock of deep black Nevermore chicks rushed to attack Weiss

She somersaulted backwards, skating on ice and then spread her arms open wide. A large pair of frost glyphs created a frost wave that annihilated the flock to the last animated Grimm.

_**"A waste of energy"**_

The enemy rushed at her and used another red glyph to accelerate he attacks. Weiss barely managed to react and conjured a hemisphere-like shield that trapped her inside, absorbing all of the ferocious attacks.

_**"This is what Winter Schnee died for? Pathetic!"**_

"This is it!" she heard her sister screaming from the outside. She continued hammering the icy globe with inhuman speed, the sound from her strikes echoing in Weiss' ears.

"Keep defending! I only have to make you run out of Dust and then- you are finished! You are nothing compared to what _She_ was!"

Weiss held a pained gasp. Both of her enemies were taunting her; she knew that. She knew none of them cared about her sister's demise- they were only trying to weaken her by mentioning Win.

Still… the situation was dire. Losing her eye and being unable to properly aim was a real problem that made her consume her last resources way too fast.

The ice had started cracking, as 'Winter' started laughing maniacally in a delirious fit of frenzy. And she didn't have enough time to perform a serious summon. _DARN!_

**_"You are a stain. Your only value lies in your blood and flesh. Begone!"_**

_What a joke… I always prided myself for being the one to never end weaponless in combat. Fate has a sick sense of humor._

She exhaled deeply to focus. The layer protecting her had nearly given in. Weiss closed both eyes and held her arm out. _If Ruby could see me right now she would die of laughter… and Yang would die of anxiety. _

The Grimm finally cracked the shell open and let out a triumphant shriek- followed by a scream of pain as a large stalagmite made of ice impaled it in the stomach.

The shell crashed and fell apart, revealing Weiss, who opened her good eye and ran forward towards the impaled enemy.

**_"So pathetic. So worthless. See the true power of my blood!"_**

It used a glyph and propelled itself away, thrashing the edge of the stalagmite and a huge part of its body. It landed on the ground, away from Weiss- and immediately started _reforming_ and closing its colossal wounds, black-red goo dripping off its form.

The pale girl stopped midway, a mixed expression of disgust and frustration visible on her face. Her throbbing eye was splitting her skull in two.

"So, you can even reform at will. How much more must you disgrace her? At least take your true form, will you?"

"There is no need for that. The memories you have of her are a perfect vessel. And an amusing sight it is, seeing you suffering like that. Or you thought I wouldn't notice? I can _smell_ your anger, huntress."

She licked her lips "and it feels delicious! I haven't hunted for myself in eons, depending only on what my servants fetched for me! I can barely control myself from simply devouring you right her and right now!"

Weiss' eyebrow rose. There was something really off about the way she was- _oh. Could it be?_

She inhaled deeply once more. She then exhaled even deeper. And again. _A battle of attrition is only bringing me closer to death. And any wounds inflicted to it, are simply going to vanish, huh?_

**_"Exactly. There is no survival. There is no hope. Only suffering and death. This is your fate, huntress. Just give up."_**

Weiss smiled. She fondly recalled a distant memory from the depths of her mind. She and Winter were standing on top of SDC tower, just a few days before Watts had hacked Atlas' defenses and everything had gone to hell.

"_There is always hope, Weiss. Because when you give up, there is nothing left to live for. Better kill yourself right there, spare you the pain."_

The Grimm Winter stared in confusion as Weiss raised her head and stretched her arms, taking a pose of surrender. "You are right. I can't defeat you this way. Let's end this now."

**_"What game are you playing, huntress?"_**

_It is no game, you monster. I am just doing what I should have done from the beginning- face her will all my might. Right now, it's the best option! _She smirked._ Unless of course you are afraid._

"Afraid? ME?!" The ferocious masked visage in front of her screamed furiously. "Prepare to DIE!" it whirled its blades and a glyph appeared right behind it.

It spun and readied its swords just like Winter did. _Of course_. The huntress close her fists, hands still open wide. _You only get one chance, Schnee. Don't waste it. Yang will kill you if you die_.

_**"What are you-"**_

Before the monster managed to finish its question, Grimm Winter charged. It closed the distance between them in less than three seconds and went straight for her left lung.

_As expected_. Weiss moved her hands towards the blade just a second before it skewered her. Channeling as much dust as possible, she grabbed the blade with both arms and unleashed a blue glyph at it.

The face under the mask didn't realize what she was trying to do and immediately stabbed at her with its other arm. Weiss jumped back and rapidly moved her bloodied hands in an amazingly fast set of gestures.

It was sloppy and messy and totally inelegant. But at this range, it was also nearly impossible to miss.

The glyph split in four pieces and engulfed all of her enemy's limbs. A guttural sound of shock and horror came out of her adversary's mouth as she finally realized what the pale girl's plan was.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Its legs and arms froze at a moment's notice, the power from Weiss' dust climbing on top of its skin. "NONOONONO! NOOOOOO! STOP IT NOOOOOO-"

"That's great. Please scream more" she stared at it with her good eye, blood dripping all over her shoulders and fingers. "You will remain here trapped. Until I find a way to utterly destroy you."

She bent over its horrified, screaming face, now slowly being consumed by the layer of frost. "And I promise I will." She turned around, away from the now frozen solid Grimm and looked at the trapped mass of darkness.

"The same goes for you. I will leave this place and some day, I promise, I will come here and erase you! You will never hurt anyone again!" _That was so cheesy; guess Yang is rubbing off to me, huh?_

_**"HAHAHAHAAAAAAAHAHA"**_

The laughter chilled the girl to her bone. The mass pulsed once more, its energy roaring. Weiss raised an eyebrow. Her eye was truly hurting.

**_"Stupid girl! Do you really think you can stop me? Some day? Are you so foolish? Have you forgotten? The ritual has already been completed!"_**

"What? How can this be?" The light shone once more and Weiss stared at the walls. The green runes covering the walls were slightly illuminated by viscous black goo. Her eye throbbed once more.

**_"You performed splendidly. But this artificial substance mortals created will be more than enough for now. After I awaken, I will make sure to properly have my offering. It would be a waste to ignore such a glorious feast."_**

Weiss looked upwards in awe. If this monster was truly able to do that, the situation was even worse than she expected to. The pulse grew steadier and stronger, the light turning blackish and slowly ascending.

She looked at her fists, still covered in blood. She looked at the statue, the sickly light reflected on its frozen mask. And then, just for a second, her eye fell on the stack of treasures piled just next to her.

She stopped. Her gaze fell on a small box, with beautiful ornaments. She knelt and picked it up. Her entire head hurt like hell, but she had seen something familiar.

Among the dance of green, black and blue reflected on the ice-covered terrain, she had noticed one thing. This box was covered in a familiar, albeit slightly primal coating. A weird choice for a jewelry or gem case.

"Please let it not be an illusion" she whispered as she rubbed the frost off of it. She opened it- and a deep smile spread on her face.

_**"Covet as much as you want. You will soon belong to me!"**_

Weiss held the object whose shock-resistant plating had caught her attention. She silently thanked whoever ancient priest had sent a box filled with unrefined dust as an offering to this God-forsaken pit.

"Not if I can help it!"


	39. Victory Is Ours

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope as good as I am! **

**Chapter 39 is here and as always I hope you enjoy it! Thanks a lot for following/favoring or simply reading! You are the best!**

* * *

Ruby swung hard, the silver blade cutting through air. An explosion followed after that, sending a cloud of burning ash towards the boy.

Alizar activated his semblance and blocked it with a stone wall. "So, the rubies on the blade were actually fire dust crystals. I got careless" he waved his left arm and the wall broke.

With his right one, all crumbles floated and were hurled against Ruby. _She shouldn't have lots of aura left after taking the blast, so after she dodges that, I will-_

To the man's surprise, Ruby didn't rush away. She sliced with the blade, sending another fiery wave to meet the projectiles. The powerful blast engulfed the shards and absorbed all impact behind them.

_Why did she not…oh! _The amber orbs opened wide as he saw the reason. Behind Ruby, right next to the chasm where the pillar of light was bursting from, Jaune Arc was lying on the altar.

His face became a sadistic mask of hatred- under the greenish light, he seemed nearly inhuman. Ruby cursed under her breath. "You are protecting him, hahahahaaaaa…LET'S SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN KEEP IT UP!"

She didn't reply; Ruby only tightened her grip on Thorn. She was hurt and barely could activate her semblance. _Only two times more, three at best. Gotta make them count. _

The ground shook behind her, and fear clutched her heart as she realized what was going on. "JAUNE!" Ruby jumped back and burst into petals again.

She grabbed his body and then jumped forward to avoid the stalagmite burst- a huge rock slammed on her back and made her scream in pain.

"GAH!" she stubbornly held both Jaune and Thorn, as Alizar laughed maniacally and unleashed a hail of stones at her.

Ruby dashed away once more with even greater speed. Rose petals filled the area, making Alizar release his power as his hated enemy and her stupid lover disappeared from view.

"_THIS_ IS THE WAY OF A HUNTRESS?" he roared. "HIDING LIKE A COWARD?" a flush of air surrounded him and a powerful punch landed on his face.

Ruby's skin and pieces of the broken chain hit the man's jaw, breaking his aura again. Thorn came after, but she didn't activate the dust.

Instead, she hit his gut with the hilt and slammed his face with the blunt side of the blade. "DIE!" A spike burst out below her and Ruby was forced to roll to the left.

"SUFFER AND DIE!" a series of blasts followed afterwards and the huntress maneuvered among the protruding spikes, cutting down the razor-sharp tips with her weapon.

"I'VE GOT YOU!" he elegantly whirled his left hand and all spikes crashed on Ruby. "AH-AAH-GAH!" she screamed and struggled as her body started getting squeezed by the cold, hard stone.

"YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT YOUR SEMBLANCE! YOU ARE USELESS WITHOUT YOUR GUN! YOUR FRIENDS ARE NOT HERE TO HELP YOU!" he was delirious; his entire reasoning had vanished in thin air.

To Alizar, this was the moment he had been waiting for. He would squeeze her to an inch of her life and then drag her half-conscious body to the altar. "YOU BEAT CINDER BECAUSE OF YOUR SILVER EYES BULLSHIT! YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT THEM!"

Ruby flipped something that shone as it slowly fell in front of him. Alizar noticed it way too late. She followed by sniping it with a pebble she picked out of her shoulder.

Once more, Alizar was lost in his delirium and barely managed to react. The explosion was smaller, but hit him head-on. "NOOOOOO!" the scream was not one of pain, but one of pure hatred.

Her rock coffin loosened and Ruby Rose dashed forward. She didn't need her semblance to do what she knew she had to.

Bloodied and battered, filled in burns and bruises, the man stepped out of the smoke. "I HAVE TO WIN! I HAVE TO KILL YOU! THERE IS NOTHING ELSE TO LIVE FOR!"

He stretched his arm, but once more underestimated the girl's natural speed and agility. Thorn slammed him on the face, leaving a bloody line on the man's lip and nose.

He stumped back and Ruby knee-kicked his chest. "AAAAARGGGGG!" the redhead rushed forward to punch her- and she knew at that moment she had won.

Ruby dropped Thorn and grabbed his arm. Her martial arts skills sucked, to be fair, but her well-trained body and powerful physique made up for it.

She threw Alizar down and let his body slam on the hard rock, landing on him. The maneuver was easy, but her left leg gave off and she rolled away without restraining him.

"AH! Aahhh…" gasping, Ruby jumped up. The strain in her body was huge, but she had no time to waste. Her eyes fell on Alizar- and she sighed in relief.

The man was lying down just in front of the chasm. He was unconscious, blood on his face and arms. She knelt and checked his breathing and pulse; he was alive.

The adrenaline left her body and the pain following after that was so immense she got dizzy and lost her footing. Ruby fell back- and got supported by something soft.

"Easy there, you dolt, you don't want to fall down there." She smiled, happiness filling her heart. "WEISS! YOU ARE ALIVE!" "What; were you worried?" a chuckle reached the reaper's ears.

"Of course I would be worried, Weiss you meanie-" Ruby turned to face her partner and stopped. Her eyes opened wide and the smile fell off her face.

Weiss Schnee looked bad. Normally that would be expected for a huntress after a fight, but Ruby was sure she had never seen her best friend _that_ beat up.

Her hair was messed up and filled in dried blood. Her left eye was- Ruby didn't even want to get started on how bad it looked. There were bites, cuts and wounds all over her torso and her clothes were tattered and filled in dried blood and grime.

"You lost your hairpin" she said, tearing up. Weiss rolled her eye. "That's the first thing that came to your mind, idiot?" she tenderly hugged her. Ruby smiled sheepishly

"You look bad too. What did that scoundrel do to you?" "Something he will be trialed for" she simply answered. "Ruby" she menacingly asked. "Please Weiss…drop it, will you?"

"Only because it's you" she replied. "Sorry Weiss, but I know how short everyone's fuse is when I am concerned. I love you cherish me that much, but now is not the time."

"Fine, fine…" she looked around, trying to change the subject. "Jaune isn't here?" she then asked. "Oh" Ruby replied "I hid him behind a small cut in the mountainside- Alizar was baiting me by attacking him."

"Good thinking" she praised her. "Let's go get him- and then find the others."

-o—

Blake jogged up the mountain path, her breathing paced and steady, trying to ease the pain in her entire body. In front of them, in the not-so-far distance, the green pillar pulsed and roared.

A growl from behind made her stop and look. Yang was groaning in pain like a wounded beast, holding her waist.

"I didn't realize the kick she gave you was that hard" she knelt to check her partner- and wrinkled her face in pain when she saw how damaged her midriff was.

"Are you serious? This chick hits harder than a high-speed train! If you weren't there to disrupt her attacks, she would have sent my kidney flying!"

"Thanks for the vivid and totally excessive image Yang" the faunus replied, getting up. "When we are back, you have to get it checked. It may have damaged your ribs."

"Perfect; I will do that." After she hastily bandaged it, they started moving again. They reached a staircase and rushed forward, when Blake signed Yang to stop.

"What is it?" Yang whispered. "I hear voices from ahead…Ruby… and Weiss!" she exclaimed, making Yang's face light up. "YES!" the blonde jumped over to the top of the stairs and started running.

"Wait, Yang! We don't know-" she ran after her, but after they both saw their teammates safe and standing, carrying Jaune, she stopped protesting.

"Yang! Blake! CRESCENT ROSE!" Ruby screamed merrily. Next to her, Weiss was smiling. _At this point, I won't even tease her, I guess-_

Blake stopped her thought process as they got closer. "Weiss? Ruby?" she heard her partner say. "What is- What the actual fuck did this son-of-a-bitch do to you!?"

"Yaaanng, we fought. Things… happen in fights" Ruby replied. "Sweetie, not now, please" Weiss added. "Not now? YOU ARE MISSING AN EYE, SNOWFLAKE!"

Blake nodded. It wasn't uncommon for huntresses, especially their team, to get badly hurt in missions. But taking into account how severely hurt Ruby and Weiss were, Yang's reaction was, well, reasonable in the faunus' eyes.

The pale girl who, according to Blake's estimations, must be nearly numb in pain, asked Ruby to hold the boy for a while. Then, she walked gently and stood in front of her girlfriend.

"The rest of me is here, though. Alive, for you to-" Weiss didn't manage to finish as Yang hugged her so tightly she thought her breath was getting cut off for a moment.

"I was so scared for both of you!" the blonde cried. "I love you- I thought I would never see you again" Weiss whispered in her ear.

"I was not there for you- I am sorry!"

"You are here now; and I need nothing else."

"We brought your stuff with us."

"You are always looking out for everyone."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Ooookay…" Ruby looked at Blake. "Would you help us now that you are here? Alizar is unconscious lying there. Do you have anything to tie him up?"

"Ahm, Ruby" Blake said after looking behind her team leader. "There is nobody there."

The Whiterose pair turned- much to Yang's dismay- and looked. There was truly no one where their adversary's body had been laying just a few minutes ago. Only a blood trail, leading… to the chasm.

"He jumped?!" Ruby screamed. "Why would he-" "Wait, ain't that bad?" Yang cut her off. "Isn't the Eldergrimm going to go free now that the moron sacrificed himself?"

"I am not so sure" Weiss cut her off, grabbing everyone's attention. "I will explain later, but I got my hands on some dust, and decided to mess up their ritual as much as possible."

"Nice!" Yang grinned. Blake solemnly nodded. Ruby… just looked at the empty hole and the still-pulsing green light from within. And then, suddenly, the pulse stopped.

The light vanished, and the creeping atmosphere settled down, allowing all girls to catch a breath. Yang gasped. "Does this mean-"

"Yeah" Ruby nodded sadly. "It's over. Victory is ours." "I don't see you that happy" Blake commented. "I just wanted this to end differently" she looked at the open hole. "Not with another death."

"I understand how you feel, Ruby, but-" An eerie howl cut the faunus off. And then another followed suit. And another.

In only a few seconds, a cacophony of howls and harrowing screams filled the night sky. They echoed from all around the island, a true concert of unearthly screeches and mortifying inhuman noises.

"What the hell is that?" the tallest member of RWBY asked again. "That is our cue out of here" Weiss, supported by her, answered. "Unless you want to stay and ask them" Blake added.

The faunus walked next to Ruby and helped her carry Jaune's body. "We have to find a way out of this place as soon as possible."

Ruby nodded affirmatively. "The docks?" she proposed. "At this point, they are our only chance. We may be able to find something useful there."

"Going near the sea at this point is… risky" Yang looked at Jaune and Weiss. "We have no other option" Ruby countered. "We didn't check all the docks and maybe there is a boat we can actually use. It's worth a try."

Three heads nodded affirmatively. "Let's hurry to Pale Mansion. I have no desire to stay here any longer."

-o—

The hidden passage was thankfully not flooded and sooner than later the team reached the gold refinery inside Pale Mansion. The howling had stopped since long ago, now replaced by a deep silence.

Not that it helped ease anyone's mind at all of course. They stopped for a few minutes, bandaged each other and shared a few of the remaining painkillers.

Yang walked next to the broken stand and started tearing pieces of wood. "Yang what are you doing?" She then grabbed a rope out of her bag and started tying them up.

"I am making a makeshift platform to carry Vomit Boy on my back. We can't get out there with Blake and Rubes moving like this; so I am giving him a piggyback ride."

"Yang…" Ruby smiled. "Spare me any sentimental boohoo Rubes. I think at this point it goes without saying" she grinned and patted her sister's head earning a pleasured giggle.

"You have a fractured rib, Yang. I will take him." "I am the only one with aura yet, Blakey. There is no need to sweat the details."

"I am with Blake on this. We don't want you to get damaged anymore and she is in better shape than anyone else" Weiss commented. "You-"

The sound of something falling on the ground and breaking cut them off. "This came from upstairs" the faunus said. "We are not alone in this place."

"Ok, time's up" Ruby unfurled her weapon, secretly reveling at the familiar feeling of the scythe in her hands. "Blake, you carry Jaune. Weiss, you will protect Blake. Yang, take Envelop from her."

They all sprang into action and in a few minutes, team RWBY carefully walked out of the forge. "Remember; we only shoot when spotted. We want to avoid any fights" Ruby whispered.

They walked past the kitchen and out in the main hall uninterrupted. The place was as before, only half-dripping by the immense humidity. But aside from that, nothing else seemed to be happening.

And then everyone heard it. A slow, wet sound like someone drenched walking. A slow, unsteady, brutish rhythm followed suit. Worst of all, it sounded _really close_.

Ruby looked up- and her eyes fell on it. There was a Grimm, on top of the staircase just above them. It was human-shaped and looked exactly like the fish-faced ones Weiss had told them she fought in the cave, except for one thing; it was at least two times their size.

There was no reply from team RWBY, not even one command was issued. It didn't even manage to howl; Ruby and Yang blew off its burly head, totally evaporating it.

"Run!" Ruby screamed at her team, just a few moments before a series of howls and screeches echoed inside the mansion as if responding to the gunshots.

They didn't even need to be told twice. As soon as the sound of dozens of footsteps started, they had already ran across the statue-covered corridor and rushed out of the front door in the front garden.

The fog-covered, amphibian-Grimm filled front garden. "Holy-" "Shit!" Weiss completed her girlfriend's swearing. The situation was so bad; nobody even cared commenting on that.

Ruby looked up; the fog was still dense and the sky was not even barely lighter than before they entered. A Grimm got up the statues and she reflexively shot it down.

Blake gritted her teeth. The situation was unexpectedly bad. More than fifty of them were slowly moving towards the wounded party. They couldn't outrun so many and at this point holding out was-

Her eyes opened wide as she saw two of them stopping just before the graveyard _and making a full turn to not step inside_. One of them stumbled inside and made a hissing sound as if it had just been burnt.

She turned to her teammates and screamed "RUBY! The graveyard! They seem to be avoiding it!"

"Are you sure?" Yang asked, shooting a couple down with the faunus' gun. "I trust Blake's instincts!" she screamed as she opened fire to create a path. "Follow me!"

Ruby rushed forward as five of them attacked her. Putting as little strain as possible, she swung Crescent Rose and decapitated two of them.

She stepped back to avoid two sets of claws and allow Weiss to stab one more. The pale girl, however, missed her mark. Immediately, the reaper switched her scythe back to rifle mode and shot all three down.

Behind them ran Blake, with Yang at her rear, shooting at the mass of monsters that started to flow towards them.

"Sorry!" Weiss screamed but Ruby dismissed it with a nod. Now was the time for action, not talk. A dozen more jumped at them, saliva dripping down their jaws. Countless more followed.

Ruby sliced, diced, and shot. Yang gunned like crazy. Blake tried to keep her pace and Jaune's body as steady as possible. Weiss parried any claw or jaw hurled at the faunus. And none of them stopped running.

It was totally insane. They ran across a field of viciously aggressive predators, trying to find a safe place out in the open. With nothing more than simple observations for guarantee.

It was madness; it was an act of pure desperation. It totally worked. Weiss fell on the ground, next to Yang, as they found cover within the tomb-filled terrace.

Blake carefully let Jaune down next to Ruby who was standing guard; but there was no need. The Grimm had stopped going after them as soon as they entered the burial ground.

They were moving around them, viciously howling and making slashing movements, but not even one of the fish-faced monsters dared take one more step towards them.

"You saved us, Blake" Ruby finally said after a few minutes of tense anticipation. "I am glad…and scared out of my wits" she replied.

"You tell me" Yang hugged Weiss who was having a hard time breathing as the exhaustion and pain had finally started having their toll on her.

"This is one of the craziest things we have done" the pale girl commented, pressing her bleeding eye. She let a small whimper as Yang helped her clean it with some water.

"Not as crazy as what we are going to do" Ruby told them. "What do you mean?" her partner asked. "Isn't it obvious? From what Cherry told you, these Grimm are nocturnal predators that follow the weird high tide's movements. So there is only one thing to do."

Yang and Weiss exchanged shocked looks as both realized what their leader meant. "You don't mean what I think you do, do you sis? You really want us to spend the night here?"

"There is not much night left to spend" she took off her cloak and covered Jaune's body. He was still cold as usual, but the carved runes on him were still glowing- at this point she could only hope.

Ruby grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers in an attempt to calm her exhausted nerves. "I am taking first shift" Blake merely told her.

"Are you sure? You have been-" "-better than most of you. Yang aside, you two look like survivors from that stupid book you gave me that day."

"I am too exhausted to even comment on that" Weiss said. "Not that I expect myself to rest with these lurking around us." She snuggled next to Yang, Myrtenaster in hand.

"Good night" the faunus said.

"Sleep tight" Ruby followed.

"Don't let the fish Grimm bite" Yang completed, a series of howls her only answer.


	40. Escape from Nightmare

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all doing well! Chapter 40 is here and as always I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Once more, thank you all for keeping up with the story. You are the best! **

* * *

Once more, the scene played in front of him.

Vivid, scarlet hair like the flames of the morning sun, clad in bronze armor. And a black, merciless arrow shooting right through her.

"No! PYRRHA!" she evaporated, just before he could touch her; again. He couldn't even hold her hand; offer her some small comfort in her final moments.

She vanished before his very eyes once more. Once more he was too weak to save the very first person that actually believed in him. "I am sorry, Pyrrha."

He knelt down. How many times had he done that already? "I am sorry. I was too weak to save you. I was too weak to help you. I was too busy with my self-pity to support you! I am sorry; this is my fault!"

"I always knew it" a voice sounded from behind him. Of course, he should have been expecting it. It had happened so many times already he should be expecting _her_ following up.

Or perhaps it was exactly because of how many times this had happened, that he didn't care to get ready for what was coming to him.

He knew all these were Emerald's fault. She wanted to torture him; turn him mad. And if he hadn't already lost his mind, Jaune was sure he was at least halfway there.

_How many hours has it been? I have to get out. Ruby and the others must be fighting Salem now! I have to help them! _

"I always was a rebound for Pyrrha, wasn't I?" the tones of sadness in her voice made his frail nerves crush. He instinctively turned around, like he had countless times.

There she was, standing in front of him. Silver eyes, red-tipped brown hair and a smile big enough to purge all sadness from his world. His girlfriend, his first friend, his lover. Ruby Rose.

Or at least that was what she should have been. This cheap illusion of Ruby was not smiling, she was crying. Like always. The sadness in her voice was powerful enough to hurt him, even after he had realized he was trapped in an illusion.

"Ruby, you know this is not true." Why was he answering as if it mattered? "I love you; you know that. Pyrrha was my partner, my trusted friend. She was important to me, but not the way you are."

"Lies" he didn't even jump this time, despite the creeping feeling rising up his spine. "I was never important to you, Jaune. I was only a fool you tricked into being your partner."

He didn't even turn to acknowledge her. He knelt and hugged his head. Tears threatened to start, but he should remain strong. This was only the beginning.

He just braced for what was coming next- that was the worst part. "You used me to survive and when I needed you, you let me die."

_No, I cherished our bond more than I ever let you know._

Ruby stood in front of him, eyes wide and hollow. "If she had lived, you would have never noticed me. I am only a substitute for her. A powerful warrior. The next in line."

_Please, don't say such things with so much sorrow in her voice! She has to be happy! She deserves to be happy! I want to make her happy!_

"You cheated your way in. You weren't ready for anything. You were always a dead weight supported by others. You led us only because Ozpin took pity on you."

"That's right! Even now, you are stuck here while we may be dying up there, talking to yourself. I thought you would man up some time, but I was wrong. And everyone will die for that."

_Ren, Nora, please stop it!_ He cried. _You have always been so kind to me; I know this is not what you believe! _

"You don't belong here. You will only drag us down. You should have been the one to die in Beacon, not Pyrrha."

_Weiss, don't do that. I know you are a better person than what you let others see!_

"Why did Velvet have to deal with this? Why did she have to lose everyone and you are still here because of them?"

_Because I was too weak to save them! I am sorry Blake!_

"You don't deserve Ruby."

_I know that. But I still want to make your sister happy, Yang!_

"Please, stop!" he begged, despite knowing no one would listen to him.

"You don't deserve me" Ruby said.

"You never deserved me" Pyrhha added.

Everyone swarmed over him. Pyrrha, Ruby and her team, teams SSSN, LEAD, Ren, Nora, even Oscar.

"You don't deserve us. You don't deserve to live! It's a joke; thinking you can stand next to us!"

Jaune fell on the floor and started crying and screaming. His body convulsed and the entire scene washed away. _How many times has it been already?_

"Make it stop, I beg you! EMERALD! DON'T BRING THEM BACK!"

Black swarmed his vision and Pyrrha appeared once more, kneeling in front of Cinder. The woman smiled devilishly as she unleashed an arrow-

"NO! PLEASE, NO! STOP IT! HAVEN'T YOU TORTURED ME ENOUGH ALREADY? PLEASE JUST KILL ME!"

The arrow flew ahead straight for her spine- and vanished.

Jaune held his breath, and sniffed his running nose. This had never happened again. He stood up and looked around, as Cinder and Pyrrha started melting away, consumed by black goo.

_Did Emerald decide to finally kill me?_

**_"That would be quite unfortunate, I believe."_**

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. This voice was something totally new. Not only it didn't belong to any of his friends or enemies, it also sounded weird. Like, ancient. And really, really powerful.

**_"I appreciate the flattery. But it is not the reason I came here, huntsman."_**

"Who, or what, are you?" he asked. "I can't even see you!" There was no reply, only a small shiver in the shadows in front of him. And then, it materialized, making him narrow his eyes.

The form it had selected was of Ruby's. It perfectly resembled her style, but unlike the previous ones it had a huge beaming smile on her face. For some reason it unnerved him even more.

"Is this better?" it even resembled her mannerism near perfectly, giving him a bright, cheerful giggle to accompany the question. "Of course it is perfect- I drew this image out of your memory after all."

"You… why are you doing this?" he gritted his teeth. "Ooooh?" a surprised pouty face met his harsh glare.

"Are you unsatisfied with my choice? I selected the image closest to your heart, hoping you would enjoy it."

"Forgive me for not appreciating being mentally tortured from someone donning the face of the girl I love."

Jaune was on edge. He had no idea why Emerald had changed tactic; or if she was behind it to begin with. "No, she isn't. I don't even know who this Emerald girl is" it nonchalantly announced.

"All right; let me ask again, before I completely lose it. Who are you?" he stepped forward, trying his best to fake confidence. At least make it respect him enough to-

"There is no need to be afraid. I am not here to hurt you." His shoulders sagged in disappointment. _Sometimes I wonder why I even try. _"Why are you here then, if not to torment or kill me?"

"I am here to strike a deal with you." Okay, _that_ surprised him. "What sort of deal? And why me?" he asked, almost reflexively.

"From what I can see, you have been trapped inside a repetitive illusion that aims into making your brain collapse and therefore cause your actual body to die along. A fascinating ability, albeit a little crude."

"Ehm, whatever you say." Hearing these words coming out of Ruby's mouth seemed so weird. He didn't know if he wanted to scream, or to panic. Yes, he knew both options were bad.

"So, I want to offer you a chance out of this place. I can break the illusion blighting your mind and save you from the slow and certain death that you are walking towards, huntsman."

"That sounds amazing. It actually sounds so amazing, it makes me really suspicious. What do I have to give you in exchange for that favor?"

"A promise" Ruby gave a haughty smile. The absurd thing was it looked very, _very_ good on her. "Only that?" he asked again, trying to clear his mind of unnecessary thoughts.

"Yes, only that. You will promise to owe me a favor and will do your best to see it fulfilled when I appear again to claim it. Nothing more, nothing less."

He stood there for a while, motionless. On the one hand, if this thing could help him out of here, it was practically saving his life. And possibly, the lives of many ones he could still help out there.

On the other hand… _owing a favor to an unknown, powerful thing infiltrating my mind sounds such a bad idea, there is no reason to even think about it._

"Be careful" it flatly announced, the melodious voice having now vanished. "You will die if you refuse- and I can't wait here forever, you know."

"Can I ask you one thing?" he said, gulping. "Sure, but only one." "Does this favor have to do with hurting people? Because if this is the case, I refuse. I would rather die instead."

"Huntsmen…" it said. "Always the wannabe heroes…" "Please answer me! Will it-" "No. I promise I won't have you hurting anyone, Mr. Arc. Are you satisfied?"

"Yes." He was still not completely convinced, but at least if this thing intended to break its promise, he could always deny the favor. That was the best choice he could do at this point. Or at least he hoped it was.

"Perfect. Then we have a deal" it rushed in front of him. _It even has her enthusiasm and speed!_ "S-so, what do I have to do?" he asked, slightly trembling.

'Ruby' hugged him and he immediately felt a deep burn in his back. "Stand still. And marvel at my power, mortal."

Before he could even comment on the whole creepiness of the entire procedure, the darkness started getting washed away. His consciousness drifted and his beloved scent of roses overwhelmed him.

-o—

He opened his eyes. And shut them again. They were burning; his eyelids were heavy as rocks. His head was throbbing and pulsing. He tried to rub it, but his arms felt so weak they barely reacted to his will.

And it wasn't only his arms. His entire body felt stiff. He opened his eyes a second time- and then closed them again. The light hurt him so much. _How many hours have I been like this?_

Jaune tried to move his arms and legs once more, but to no avail. Maybe he was trapped somehow? Maybe they lost and were captured? Tons of horrible ideas passed through his mind and started picking at his conscience.

_Nononono… that's wrong. Chill out man, just focus on opening your eyes before you start panic. Let's go. One, two, three! _

After a few tries, his eyelashes finally managed to remain open enough to start taking in his surroundings. He was in some sort of warehouse, dimly-lit and half-covered in fog, filled in wreckage.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, like the Grimmlands, but not in the same manner. There was no scorching heat and deadly staleness. The place was humid and he could smell the distinct saltiness of the ocean.

His hearing took quite some time to adjust, but he immediately welcomed the sound. Hammering, pounding and cutting; it seemed some people were working outside.

"Damn it Weiss! There is a limit at how much you can suck at handiwork, baby!" Ok, that was definitely Yang. And she sounded chipper enough to ease his anxiety.

He licked his lips. His mouth was so dry and parched, he could barely open it. _Ok, this is not normal._ He tried to call for help, but no sound came out of his mouth, save for a slow 'aaaaaaaaaaaaa'.

And then, immediately, the sound of something falling to the ground on his left cut him off. Jaune barely managed to move his neck and eyes to see. And as he did, his heart skipped a beat.

Ruby was standing in front of him, above a pile of wood planks she had just dropped. Her clothes were damaged, her cape ragged and tattered and she looked badly beat and sloppily bandaged.

But these didn't matter; Ruby was _there_. Despite her wounds, she was alive. That was all that mattered. All that remained was to see why she was looking at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Is… this…" she walked next to him; silver pools wide open in shock. "…a dream? Have I gone mad?" _Ruby, what are you talking about? You are creeping me out! _

She knelt next to him. It might have been only for a few hours, but he had missed her so much. He wanted nothing more than to see her happy and now she was crying because of him.

_I must have scared you a lot, didn't I? I am so sorry, Crater Face_. But of course she couldn't hear him, since his mouth still refused to obey. _What did Emerald do to me?_

"Jaune?" the whimper nearly tore his heart apart. Almost as much as the tears running down Ruby's cheeks. She caressed his hair and he internally shivered in her gentle touch. "Is it truly you?" she cried.

He did the only think he could to answer her. Jaune nodded slightly. "Promise?" she asked again, barely holding herself back any more. Jaune nodded once more.

Ruby cupped his head and crashed her lips at his, tenderly pressing him down. The boy didn't even consider trying to react, realizing at once how much he had missed his girlfriend.

Ruby stopped and looked at him, shooting a teary, happy smile that made his entire ordeal worth it. Then she kissed him again, more fiercely. Her lips were chapped, swollen and filled with tears, mud and caked blood. It was the best sensation in the world.

At some point, she broke the kiss. "I love you" she said, barely managing to word it before she broke crying in his motionless arms. "Ru…by…" _FINALLY! SOMETHING CAME OUT!_

"I… love you too…" he smiled. "MHM!" she burst in tears and loud whines, as she hugged him tightly. He decided to not break the moment by asking anything for now.

"Rubes?" Yang's voice sounded closer than before. "What is it, why are you screaming? Did something- HOLY MOTHER OF DUST!" Jaune barely managed to see a bandaged Yang standing in the entrance of the building.

She was looking at him exactly the same way Ruby did before. _Ok, I am starting to get worried now._ "Hey…Yang. How… are you doing?"

She didn't reply, her mouth hanging open. The blonde girl just turned and shouted outside. "BLAKEY! WEISS! VOMIT BOY WOKE UP!"

There was a stifled gasp and a sound of equipment being tossed on the ground. And then footsteps, followed by Blake and Weiss entering the scene.

Before he could even comment on how horribly wounded Weiss looked, she covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Blake was less expressive, but even she couldn't hide her awe at- staring at him?

"Ok, I am sorry" he said, mustering as much energy as he could "but why are you… all looking at me like this? It… creeps me out; seriously."

"Well, Vomit Boy" Yang scratched her head. "How can I put this, we hoped you would wake up, but after all this time, we didn't really expect it, to be honest."

Cold water ran down Jaune's spine. He locked eyes at the top of Ruby's head who was still bawling her eyes out in his chest. He really wanted to hug her, but his hands still felt weak. _Unnaturally_ weak.

_So, it was more than just a few hours; then it makes sense for them to worry like this. At least it seems like we won; or escaped._

He took a deep breath and looked back at the three girls, now barely composed. "You said 'after all this time' Yang. How many days have I been off? And where is everyone else?"

-o—

"More than a year?!" the voice was barely a normal shout, but in his condition it was the best he could do. They had just finished briefly explaining what had transpired after he had lost his mind to Emerald back then.

"Exactly" Yang said. All five of them were on a small, hastily repaired rowboat, moving away from the accursed, bloodstained island, cutting through the dense fog.

Ruby and Blake were manning the oars, after Weiss had threatened to throw Yang in the ocean if she overexerted her broken rib even more.

"You gave us all a huge scare, Jaune" the little reaper smiled at him. "I am pretty sure. And from the looks of it, I got all of you into danger, too. I am really sorry, every-"

"Oh, I can't believe it. You two dolts totally deserve each other!" Weiss, seated at the back of the boat cut him off with a look of fake disdain. "No, Weiss. This is not what I mean-"

"I don't care what you mean, Arc! How many times do we have to almost die along each other for you and that idiot of a partner I have to understand?" she smacked the top of Ruby's head. "Ouch!"

"Weiss…" he whispered. "We are not only friends. Since you decided to add your stupidity to hers, we are something even stronger. We are family; and there is nothing we wouldn't do for each other, stupid dense blockhead!"

Jaune smiled softly at the alabaster girl who merely humphed and averted her eyes. "You are right, I am sorry for acting stupid" he said.

"It matches your idiot beard- it really doesn't suit you" she nonchalantly remarked, still pouting in fake anger.

"Why? I was thinking-""I second Weiss' opinion" Blake said with a weak smile. "You need to go have a make-over Vomit Boy; can't let you take my sis out looking like this."

His eyes went to Ruby's, who sheepishly giggled. "I will have Erik take you to his barber; but not before we check you up in Nanko Hospital" she calmly added.

"I agree" the ex-heiress commented. "You should have a check-up. Your recovery is nothing sort of a god-sent miracle."

His smiled dropped. _God-sent miracle?_ For some reason, he had almost forgotten about _It_, but the pale woman's remark surfaced that semi-locked memory.

"Now that you mention it, Weiss" he announced, getting everyone's attention. "I have something I want to discuss with you all. It may have to do with my recovery."

His eyes narrowed. He was sure if he could, he would be scratching his beard right now. "And the more I think about it, the more worried I become" he ominously added.

* * *

**RWBY vol. 7 is near its end and so does the Grimmwater Arc. There is only one chapter left, its epilogue, before we proceed to the next arc of the story. I hope I managed to do justice to the characters so far and properly delivered the atmosphere I had in mind. In case I failed, please let me know! Thank you once more and I will see you all next week! **


	41. Did We Actually Win?

**Hello again! How are you all doing? **

**Here is ch. 41, the epilogue to the Grimmwater. I hope the arc was interesting enough to reward you for keeping up with it. **

**Nothing more to actually say, except for this; if you have any sorts of comments on the arc feel free to tell me, I would appreciate it a lot. **

**See you all next week with the beginning of the next part of the story! Have fun! **

* * *

_**A few days later- Nanko General Hospital**_

The tall man dressed in white had just finished administrating the painkillers under Yang's watchful eye. In the bed next to them, dressed in a hospital gown, was Weiss.

Ruby and Blake were not present; or, to be more accurate, were not present anymore since Doctor Canvass who was monitoring Weiss had kicked them out about half an hour ago.

"_Only one visitor per patient, outside visiting hours"_ he had said earning a scowl from all team RWBY.

Said doctor had finished removing the intravascular feeding system a few minutes earlier. Then, he was reassuring the anxious blonde that her girlfriend was under no mortal danger for the Xth time, when Weiss spoke.

"If may interrupt your banter with Yang, Doctor" she grumpily requested "can you please tell me the results about my eye? I want to browse the web for an eyepatch before I fall asleep to the medication, if possible."

"Don't say that!" Yang reprimanded her. "I am sorry, Doc. She is just under a lot of stress and pain. But after you tell her she will have her eye back, everything-"

"Miss Xiao Long" the grey-haired man cut her off. "Miss Schnee" he curtly bowed to her. "As I intended to tell you, there are good and bad news."

"Tell me the bad ones first" she replied flatly. He nodded and without any hesitation announced. "The major part of the eye is totally destroyed."

"WHAT?" Yang screamed but the ex-heiress hushed her with a glare. "The iris, the pupil and the lens are severely damaged and not salvageable, even with your aura working on them."

"I… kind of expected that." Weiss averted her gaze and Yang rushed at her. She hugged her tightly and let her snuggle. "However" he hastily added "the optical nerves seem to be in perfect health."

"Sorry, Doc. But what's that supposed to mean?" the brawler turned around and looked at the man.

"It means that visibility is not impossible to return, if we manage to provide an artificial replacement for the damaged parts."

Weiss stared at him, raising her head from the tall woman's lap. "You are talking about an artificial eye, aren't you doctor?" The man nodded.

"It's not impossible, theoretically. But I am afraid this clinic has no surgeon with the substantial skill to perform such an operation. And let's not forget about the high costs about it."

There was a brief pause as Yang slowly got next to the doctor, her face dropped down. The man tried to continue "But of course this is far from the worst case scenario-"

"Doctor" Weiss, who had just gotten up and looked towards the grey sky from the window, interrupted him. "Is there anything else you have to tell me?"

"No" he replied "that would be all, Ms. Schnee." She gulped, her throat was slightly dry and her head heavy. "Then I would very much appreciate it if I could be alone for a while."

"Of course, Ms. Schnee. We will be on our way then." Yang shot a glare at him "I am staying here, Doc." The man stared back "need I remind you that you are a patient as well, Ms. Xiao Long?"

"That's hardly the point here." "No; the doctor has a point, Yang. Your rib is not fully healed yet. You need to rest it" Weiss replied for him. "It's what's important right now."

"_This_ is important? That's minor in comparison to your eye!" She growled back. "Miss Xiao Long, do not make me call the head nurse; you know how scary she can be."

"I don't care; Weiss is the one who-" "Yang!" the slightly raised voice made the blonde's protests die in her throat. "Do not make this any harder by stirring up trouble, sweetie. Please."

Lilac stared at her girlfriend, who had still her back turned at her. "We can talk tomorrow morning; if you rest properly and take care of yourself that is."

She gritted her teeth and held her response back. Weiss was right; she was acting stupid now. "I will be back first thing in the morning" she announced before leaving the room. "Good night, Snowpuff."

The door shut down behind her and Weiss finally turned around, allowing the silver line running down her cheek to finally become visible.

She walked to the mirror and took a good stare at herself. Her hair had started growing long again; they now reached a little below her shoulder.

She took a few bangs and used them to cover her bandaged left eye. She wasn't looking bad, if she said so herself. No, her looks were barely the issue.

The true problem was- Weiss removed the hair and looked at the white stripes covering the gauze below. _What lies beneath the cover?_

_Beneath is an incompetent huntress who lost an eye and tries to conceal it as if wearing make-up for her father to not notice a kiss mark on her neck after a prom night. _

Of course she knew that replacing it was no issue. She picked her scroll up and searched for Penny's number.

Mr. Polendina wouldn't mind the cost- she would compensate him of course, that was out of question- and the procedure had been done on Ms. Calavera about thirty years ago.

The procedure was no issue, yes. _But am I allowed to do that?_ Weiss looked at her image once more. The eye patch would be light blue, of course. Maybe with some white highlights.

It would serve as a mark of honor. It would be a testament to the other huntsmen about how valiantly she had fought back there. _Not to me_ she thought.

_This will be the proof. The proof that Weiss Schnee couldn't, even after so many years, stop clinging to her sister's legs. The proof that she nearly doomed an entire mission of utmost importance because of it. _

She looked again at the door and lowered her scroll. "I am sorry Yang" she whispered. "But I am not sure I have the right to fix this."

She stared again at the mirror, the image of a tender blonde woman hugging her from behind overlapping with hers for a moment before she went back to her bed.

"Goodnight, selfless idiot."

-o—

"That's not good- but it's expected, as Weiss said" Blake told Yang. "Yeah!" Ruby added. "I will call Mr. Polendina tomorrow and ask him if he can see her! It will be a piece of cake!"

"If only I could share your enthusiasm and optimism, Rubes" the blonde replied. "Why not?" Her sister asked.

Yang wanted to reply. She wanted to tell them that she hated that look Weiss had after Doc announced the news. It hit the brawler too close to home.

She rubbed her metal elbow, where the joints were. _She sounded exactly like I did back then, that's why I can't be optimistic._

"Yang" Ruby said. "I know what you are thinking, but Weiss is a tough nut to crack. Besides, we are all here with her now. All will be fine; trust me."

They were walking down the hospital corridor, towards the blonde's room, basking in the warmth the building's heating system provided.

_No use to add even more pressure to them now. I will talk to her tomorrow_. "You are right Rubes; sorry. I just can't stop worrying about her" both her sister and partner nodded in acceptance.

"Anyway, let's change topic. What did they say about Vomit Boy?" Her sister's expression turned thoughtful and she took a deep breath before answering her.

"Physically, Jaune is well. Save for the fact he has to go through some rehabilitation stuff, he is fine. They say he will be back to action in a few months if he wills to."

"Isn't that a great thing? Because you appear to be thinking something, Rubes. You should normally be delirious with joy." The red girl let out a weak laugh and replied.

"I am happy, don't misunderstand. I am happier than I have ever been the last year." Yang exchanged a side glance with Blake who nodded in approval.

"But?" she finally asked. "But" Ruby answered "The doctors told me something really confusing. They asked me if Jaune had even done a tattoo before."

Seeing both girls look at her in wonder, Ruby continued. "There is a series of black, thin lines in his back. Around them, his skin is charred, despite Jaune feeling no pain there. They are shaped like a pair of skeletal, clawed hands."

"Ok, _that's_ unsettling." Yang felt a shiver running down her body and she was sure it wasn't due to the lack of heat. "Since you mentioned it, Ruby" Blake took the opportunity to speak.

"There is something I wanted us to discuss. Ideally, I would have liked Weiss to be here too, but she should focus on resting. We can fill her in later."

"Does it have to do with what Jaune told us about the last dream he had?" their leader implored. Yang looked at the faunus, who silently approved.

"This dream happened to appear immediately before he woke up from his coma; considering what they discussed and agreed on with this _thing_, I refuse to accept it as a coincidence."

"Well, dreams work in mysterious ways" Yang said, earning a harsh stare from her partner. "I don't believe it was a dream, Yang, that's my point."

Both sisters' shoulders dropped. Of course all four of them had been considering what Blake was implying.

They had been thinking about it ever since the boy had told them about the powerful entity that set him free from the nightmares Emerald had cursed him with.

"A mysterious thing that takes after the image of someone you hold dear" Ruby reminisced. "Mimicking mannerisms to near perfection."

"Powerful enough to break an immensely illusion that even the finest doctors, specialists and huntsmen failed to deal with" her sister added.

"And intelligent enough to bargain a deal with you, while not informing you of what actually happens. Thus, it makes sure you get the short end of the deal" the yellow-eyed beauty concluded.

"I think we all know something that qualifies for all these things, don't we?" Ruby sighed. "You think Avyssos did something to Jaune? Because that's exactly what I am afraid of."

Yang gently patted her sister's shoulders. "Maybe we are just overthinking it. I mean no offense, Blakey, but you tend to overthink things sometimes."

"I know I do" the cat-girl replied. "But this is not the issue here. The issue is what we are going to do about it. Jaune's situation might be too complicated for us to handle on our own."

"That's right, but on the other hand we can't start acting like this; we barely know anything" Yang retorted. "Vomit Boy's condition has improved after all."

"That's the issue; he got over his coma like it was a common cold, the moment he came in contact with it. I am especially concerned about this 'favor' Jaune now owes to Avyssos."

"Okok!" Ruby interjected. "This conversation leads us nowhere. And the worst part is; you are both right. This is exactly why we have to be careful. Yang, Blake."

They both looked at their leader and then lowered their head in shame. "You are right, Rubes. Sorry for getting all worked up like this." The faunus rubbed her scar "sorry for spoiling the victorious mood like this, too." _Even though...did we actually win?_ she thought.

"Ah, that's fine" Yang passed her arm around the black-haired girl's shoulders. "Blakey is not Blakey unless she is a killjoy pessimist!"

An eye roll from said girl was the only thing Yang got from her. "So, what do we do after all?" she then asked again. "Wait and see?"

"Yes. Wait and stay vigilant" Ruby replied. "We will talk to Jaune about all these and let him decide. If he wants to avoid talking to Goodwitch about it, I will support him- as well as keeping an eye on him."

"That's really mature." Yang praised Ruby who reacted with a merry giggle. "And what if Jaune decides to come out with the truth?"

"In that case, Blake, I will support him too. And I will beat the crap out of anybody who might try and turn him into a lab rat" she flatly announced.

They dropped Ruby at Jaune's room, wished goodnight to the couple, and continued towards Yang's. They reached the blonde's door stood in front of it.

"You know, it is weird" she commented. "We won but somehow I don't feel like celebrating all these. We should be all happy and festive instead of_ that_."

"That's only because we didn't actually win" Blake announced. "We did earn some small victories, sure, but this is not a favorable conclusion for us."

"We all survived, Blakey. And Vomit Boy is back with us. This could have been a lot worse. And you were there; you know what I mean when I say that."

"I do, yes. However, Alizar is dead at best. Cherry escaped to Dust knows where, the Eldergrimm is still trapped inside the place without us having a concrete idea of how to permanently seal it forever."

She furrowed her brows "In addition, there is another like this, the one we fought in Yugure, out there." "Ah, yes. Alizar called it Nyctos, I think?"

"Nyctos is out there. As well as a cult that wishes to revive all of its siblings for some twisted reason. I only hope the books we got from Red's library and team LEAD's findings will help us get something."

"Blakey" Yang smiled at her. "You are right. We have to deal with all of these. But one step at a time is the proper way, don't you think? Let's begin by resting and enjoying whatever victories we won here."

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes in defeat. "You are right; I am rushing things again. Sorry, Yang."

"If you are truly sorry, go get some sleep to clear your head. Tonight is going to be a quiet one. I haven't slept well, being anxious and all about them both, but that doesn't mean you have to follow my example."

A roaring sound accompanied by heavy footsteps echoed in the half-empty corridor. "WHERE IS HE? I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" and then even more angry steps.

Blake and Yang exchanged stares. "Kitty. Am I too tired, or is that-" "Nora, yes. Ruby told them on the phone when we arrived here. I assume they convinced Goodwitch to let them visit."

"YOU THERE- THE DOCTOR! JAUNE ARC; WHAT ROOM IS HE IN?"

"We are never going to get some proper rest, are we?"

"Never."

-o—

Pain. Pain and anger permeated his entire being. His body felt burning, like someone had slipped hot coals under his skin. His breathing was heavy and erratic, his fury only adding to his tense muscles.

Why was he alive? He should have died! That bitch Rose had defeated him with sly tricks. _Hero of justice and guardian of the people, my ass. You are nothing more than a cheap lap dog for those in power! _

How had he survived the fall? And why was the cavern floor so soft? He opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the brighter than expected daylight.

Alizar Red looked around and got confused. He was not in the cave anymore. Instead, he was lying on a bed, covered in bandages, with a few water bottles around him.

The room he was in was small and cheap-looking; just a wooden rectangle with two doors and one single window that was half-open, allowing the little winter daylight to barge in.

Aside from these, there was only one table, a chair and a neatly-folded bedroll on the other side of the room. A flowery fabric was next to it, tugged inside a plastic bag. Everything was _dyed in a pale green light_?

He scratched his head and got up, ignoring the throbbing pain pulsing in his entire body. As he sat on the bed, trying to piece himself together, his eyes fell upon something familiar.

The green light was pulsing from a couple bone talismans carefully arranged underneath his bed, with elaborate runes made of black ichor spreading around them.

_So that's what happened._ Now, he was even more confused than before. Why would _she,_ of all people, help him escape this hell hole?

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and a totally naked Cherry stepped out, holding a wet towel. "Oh, you are awake. Guess you are tougher than I gave you credit for."

Alizar took a few seconds to reply, taking in his current partner- and savior. The girl in front of him always had something alluring and terrifying about her, both in spades.

And at this moment, looking at the muscled, naked body of the faunus, with the cherry-colored, wet tresses of her hair falling down her shoulders and sending droplets all over her curved body, he realized why.

Because the gorgeous body of hers had something terrifying about it as well. Starting right between her breasts and spreading down covering her entire belly, was a large religious tattoo.

In its core it was simple; nothing more than an array of thin black lines, forming a hideous Leviathan head. The skin around the lines was charred red, as if someone had marked it with burning iron.

"Like what you see?" she nonchalantly asked as she grabbed a few clothes out of her bag. "A lot. Except for the tattoo."

She clicked her tongue. "I am not talking about my body, you fool. I was asking about my _**holy mark**_; never call it a tattoo again." She fished out a pair of underwear and put them on.

"Well, you can't be standing in front of a man naked with such a body and ask me to ignore it." Seeing her narrow her eyes, he decided to change the subject "what is it for, anyway? A religious custom?"

"It is a symbol for those select few touched by the Elders" Cherry put on a trimmed, blue pair of jeans and a brown t-shirt. "It is the utmost honor for those of my religion. Not that I expect you to fully understand that."

"I see" he had only asked to divert the conversation away from her naked form; Alizar actually had zero interest in the mad woman's dead religious zealotry. But there _was_ something he was really curious about.

"I guess we are at Nanko, right?" "Exactly. We are currently in a cheap motel at the port; our enemies now know our faces, so we must lay low for a while." He narrowed his eyes before asking again.

"Why did you save me back then? It was you, wasn't it?" She didn't turn around. "Yes it was me." "Then, why did you do it? I thought you couldn't care less if I lived or died."

"As a matter of fact, I do. You and I both failed, in case you didn't realize it." He stared at her back and Cherry turned around, having just put on a khaki jacket on top.

"You do realize what that means don't you?" she asked back. "Yes" he hissed, feeling his anger rising again. "It means we have to take responsibility for our failure."

"I am glad you understand" the faunus put on a pair of brown boots. "Still, you could have left me die. You could have used me as a scapegoat and blame me for everything as well."

"This is not how I operate, idiot" she glared at him. "Besides, why wasting a powerful ally like you?" Alizar looked at her in surprise. "That might be the first time you have directly complimented me; it's kind of scary."

The glare persisted. "I am no fool, you moron. I respect death as much as I respect life. I would never let an ally die if they can still be useful, or they have unfinished business. Unless they insult my pride, that is."

Ok, that was better than he expected. He closed his eyes and spoke calmly. "Thank you, Cherry. I never thought I would say this, but I owe you one, you crazy psycho."

"Well, you are welcome for what matters. But I half expect both of us being heavily chewed out by the others. Do you want a piece of advice? Stop thinking about Ruby and start thinking about how we will make up for our blunder."

She then walked to the door. "I am going to get us some food, ok?" "Anything is fine- I am famished" the man replied and she walked out.

Alizar exhaled deeply. His entire body was still in pain, but he had gotten used to that already. This pain was irrelevant. This body too, had value only in carrying him as far as he needed to go.

The only thing that mattered was that Cherry had given him a second chance. Another shot at taking down Ruby Rose. And this time, he would kill her on spot.

A wicked smile rose on his face. They might have lost the battle, but they were far from losers in the long run. He cackled evilly; _that truly must be the hand of fate at work! _

"Just you wait, Little Red. Our battle is far from over."


	42. Clouds Gather over Atlas

**Greeting everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine! **

**Chapter 42 is here; we are entering the second arc of the story now. At this point, I would like to mention two things.**

**First of all, I intend to have a little slower setup before the action kicks in in order to show a few things I want. I hope the slower pacing will not bore you. If it does, let me know in order to avoid repeating that in future arcs. **

**Second, I would like to mention here something I said in my first chapter; this story was conceived before vol. 7. As of that, even if I come to use a few things like Atlas' situation or characters who now appeared, the past of this story will have quite a few differences than what we all watched in RWBY vol. 7. **

**That's all! Thanks for reading my blabber and as always, thank you very much for following/favoring/commenting or even simply reading! You are the best! All of you!**

* * *

**December 27****th****, 85 **

**Carmel Communications' CEO Private Chambers, City of Atlas**

"And that's how all ended" Cherry's image through the monitor finished her retelling of how things came to be in Grimmwater island.

"After I got free, I reached up to the cavern, found Alizar in a near-dead state and the entire ritual site extremely messed up. Therefore, I prioritized our escape from the island."

Sophia was fuming. _Those two immature punks!_ "What's the exact situation of the ritual site, Cherry?" Bistre's emotionless voice asked.

"Weiss Schnee destroyed more than half of the carved runes and the state of the cavern is pretty unstable. I could only crack the ice she used to seal the exit to the sea and remove the layers she put on top of Avyssos' cage."

"Which brings us lower than square one- Avyssos will continue polluting the area, but we lost how many months' work?" Maize grumbled, visibly dissatisfied.

"Taking into consideration all parameters, including the instability of the arrays and the time it would require to gather enough Grimm Blood to carve them again, I would say at least a couple years at best" the fox girl replied.

"In other words, not only you failed to free the Eldergrimm but you also provided our enemies information of our existence and threw away two years' worth of work!" Sophia finally slammed her desk in fury.

"You two were added to our group because of your supposed superior combat skills! What use are you if you fail to even do that? Do you understand the damage your incompetence caused to all of us?"

Alizar, his image seated right next to the pink-haired girl, made a move to stand, but she stopped him with a gesture. The faunus then turned back to her other comrades and spoke.

"We do. And we apologize for the heavy loss. We are willing to accept any sort of punishment for our failure." Her voice was unusually lacking the usual ferocity she emitted, but was filled with determination.

"Fine. Then I recommend relieving you both of your duties so we can replace with you with more competent ones." Sophia remarked, her words seething with poison.

"If that's what you wish, then I will comply. But I will do it only if **all **four of you agree on that. Master?" she turned to Bistre who was solemnly watching the word exchange.

"Dear Sophia, you are exaggerating. They surely have lots of things to answer for, but going to such extremes is nothing but foolish." "We don't need useless people among us. And they knew where they were-"

"With all due respect, Sophia" Maize interrupted her "you are being ridiculous. If Cherry is speaking the truth, then I can hardly accuse her for losing to Xiao Long and Belladonna together."

"It's not a playground here, Maize. She should know to pick her fights better." "Same applies to you" the faunus commented. "And right now you are picking a fight you have already lost, Ms. CEO."

Well-trimmed eyebrows shot wide as the caramel-haired woman sat back at her chair and looked at the four other images occupying the room.

Cherry and Alizar, humbled and frustrated, but determined.

Bistre and Maize looked at her in mild disapproval.

Glaucus was the only one who hadn't talked yet. She turned at him. "What do you believe, Professor? Am I being too harsh?" The man adjusted his glasses before replying.

"Fundamentally, you would be right in asking for a severe punishment. But both Cherry and Alizar are not pawns to be sacrificed, Ms. Carmel. They are as valuable pieces in the board as you are; do not forget it."

She rubbed her head and picked a cigarette from the drawer of her desk. After she had opened it and took a large whiff, Sophia replied. "Let's say I agree with that; what do you propose to do then?"

"If I may" Alizar got up and addressed the group. "Why don't you have both of us do the scouting missions? Now that Avyssos' awakening has been postponed, the need to find the others' tombs is more urgent than ever."

The woman raised an eyebrow again and puffed some more smoke "that's a surprisingly mature suggestion coming from you. Pretty reasonable too."

"There is no reason to refuse that offer" Maize said. "I agree; it will help us speed up the process now that team RWBY is starting to get closer to us" Azure commented. "I concur as well" Bistre only announced.

"Fine then" Sophia, having severely calmed down, turned to the pair. "Cherry is going to take over searches in Vale and Mistral. Alizar will deal with Vacuo."

"What about Atlas?" the redhead asked her. "Leave Atlas to me" Sophia merely remarked. "With Carmel Comms under my command, finding where Alginos is sealed will simply be a matter of time."

"And what about team RWBY?" Maize said. She didn't immediately reply; instead, the CEO typed a few commands in her computer.

"If they manage to find their way to me, I will deal with them on my own; like I always have for all my enemies- nothing more, nothing less."

-o—

**December 30****th****, 85**

**Nanko Train Station **

Cherry tossed her travel bag on her back, carefully to not let Mandragoras pierce it. She raised her hood-covered head, checked the schedule and turned back to the boy standing behind her.

"Guess I will be leaving first; hope you get bored to death" she jabbed, earning a groan from the redhead. "We have been arguing for the last three days straight."

He adjusted his own hoodie. "Can't you at least pretend being nice to me for five minutes?" "No" she flatly answered. "Is it about the meeting? Sophia chewed us quite a bit" he asked in a serious voice.

"Having to atone for my mistakes is no problem. But having my warrior's honor insulted like this by someone who hasn't even wielded a weapon in her life is unforgivable."

"Hey, we did what Bistre instructed us to" he tried to calm her, but she seethed at him. "I knew you lack any sort of pride, but I am astonished you are fine with this!"

Alizar, to his credit, let the insult drop. He had gotten kind of used to them anyway these past days. "I got away by getting scouting missions. I now have enough time to polish my skills while travelling."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion and he continued "I can get stronger and have a second chance at taking Rose down. That's exactly what I needed."

The girl let a small smirk appear on her face. "Despite the stupid driving force behind it, you have started thinking as a warrior; I can only approve of that."

"I just wanted to say; too much pride can be a problem too." "And the moment's gone. Well done in spoiling your chances to make me acknowledge you."

"I don't need something like that" Alizar said as she turned around to leave. "Everyone does, you fool." "Even Sophia?" he joked. "Especially Sophia" the fast reply came.

Alizar walked next to her and offered his hand. "Good luck, Cherry. I still owe you one huge favor." She grasped and firmly shook it "stay alive, or die gloriously, boy. And never betray your own code of honor."

She broke the handshake and turned around. "In this crazy world we live in, nothing else matters" she shouted, fiddling with her talisman as she boarded the train to Mistral city.

She had a lot of research before her, for the sake of her Master- and for the remaining eleven Elder Gods, sleeping somewhere in Remnant.

**January 23****rd****, 86 **

**Aircraft VA-12, somewhere between New Vale and Atlas**

The woman in the window seat was truly a sight for sore eyes. She had snow white skin, slender body, soft, white hair falling down to her petite shoulders.

Despite the light blue patch covering her left eye, her elegant features, even more highlighted by the matching colored suit she wore, were hard to miss.

But even more alluring than that were the warm smile she had and the captivating voice that slowly whispered the lines

"_Dead wind whispers in the trees, _

_Spirit of ancient spite it brings…_

_Tall as house and made of night,_

_Hunting with sinister delight…"_

Weiss' eye travelled over the old and nostalgic song written on the page of the heavy book in her arms. She smiled affectionately, reminiscing of her few precious childhood moments, singing such songs for her sister and mother.

"What book is this?" Seated next to her for the flight, Blake finally raised her head from the newspaper she had been reading.

Weiss smirked playfully "101 ways to not be late when travelling; very useful for absent-minded faunus" Weiss bent forward and looked the sisters sleeping next to them.

Ruby was half-drooling, with her mask covering her eyes and Yang followed suit, having her cowboy hat over her entire face. "Works for heavy sleepers too" she tenderly reprimanded.

"Give them a rest; Yang has barely slept lately." Weiss slightly blushed. "You thing I don't know that? She is even more anxious than me. Overprotective as always, the idiot."

"You are red all over the face." The pale girl humphed and looked away, much to the faunus' amusement. "As for Ruby, I don't think she has had a full-night's sleep these past weeks."

"Or left Jaune have one too" Weiss finished the black-haired girl's thought process earning a small laugh from her.

"It's good to have the dunce couple back in action- seems like the world has become a better place already. Trusting Goodwitch with his condition was the right call as well."

"I know what you mean; even though we both know this is far from over." Weiss sighed. "Yes, but as Ren said to Arc, take one step at a time."

Blake nodded and then decided to change the subject back to something more entertaining. "You didn't answer, Weiss. What book is this?"

"It's a premature 'get-well' gift from Nora and Ren" she said, giving the illustrated tome to the yellow eyed beauty.

"Lullabies of Woe; an Atlas' folklore song and poetry anthology" she read, before skimming through the pages. "These are really well-done; and a lot ominous. Some illustrations are really dark-themed."

"I sense some sort of interest there, Belladonna?" Weiss smirk grew. "Well, yes. It seems fairly interesting." She stopped for a moment, noticing something. "Have you sung this before?"

"I actually had a book like this back home; lost it a long time ago" the Schnee commented. "I first learnt how to sing in order to tell these stories to my mother and sister" she added.

"You never mentioned that; it's actually very sweet" the raven girl smiled at her. "And very embarrassing" Weiss blushed again.

"Ok, changing topic. We are going to stay in Ms. Flinch's house again, aren't we?" the faunus asked.

"Well, since you practically forced me into this, I guess we will. I will go see the doctor and if I decide to have the operation, he will be kind enough to let me stay with him for my recuperation."

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Don't be like this. Ruby was so happy that you accepted at least to talk to him. She even took a few days off her duties to come along."

"She shouldn't have come" the response shocked Blake, until Weiss continued. She knew the pale girl was trying to put on a brave face; that she actually wasn't far worse than she let them see her, but that was…

"With Ren and Nora returning back to Cypress, Sun's team in Menagerie, Jaune under rehabilitation and team LEAD still working on Mt. Glenn, Ruby's presence back in Vale is essential."

Weiss narrowed her eyebrows. "I told her she didn't have to come, that having you two taking care of me would be more than enough and she shouldn't really exhaust herself for just a few days."

"And, what did she say?" Blake tried to cheer her fried up by asking, despite being fully aware of the answer. "Let's just say her cry of protest activated all alarm systems in south Vale City."

A chuckle escaped Blake's lips. "She is very fond of you." "Stop telling me things I know, Belladonna. What about _your_ arrangements?"

Weiss pointed towards the newspaper. The headline was discussing another pointless thing as always- the scandalous romance of a reporter with a married local school teacher.

Weiss hated reading such things and was one of the reasons she wasn't reading the news save for the few topics she was interested in, unlike the always vigilant faunus.

But right now, she was pointing to the lower part of the cover, where a smaller headline talked about Gray Fenris' last pillage of supplies in North Atlas.

"If Ilia believes she has found a contact, then I believe her. She is second to no one in terms of information gathering."

Weiss nodded. "Please, do not try to open another feud with a lunatic who uses the White Fang's name to cover for his own greed, Blake. Especially while I am trying to think about the operation and Yang is eating her nails over my bed."

"I promise" she solemnly replied. "I will be waiting for you to get better and then I will open the feud, is that all right?"

Weiss' expression changed into one of total surprise- until she saw the smirk on her friend's face.

"You and Yang are such a bad influence to each other" she rolled her eye, before they both turned back to their respective reads.

-o—

**Continent of Solitas, Aegis Forest,**

**2 days north of the City of Atlas**

The white-covered trees and bushes were still there. It didn't matter whether it hailed, snowed or decided to get foggy, the trees and bushes would still be there, covered in the thick white blanket of Solitas.

For the guards patrolling Carmel Communications' secret facility, this view of Solitas had become a daily routine- a constant in their lives.

Today, like every day, they picked up their weapons as their shift ended, greeted their replacements and went inside to warm their bodies in the main hall.

And then said replacements would start patrolling the grounds taking turns in pairs until the night shift came. It was an ordinary day for them.

And that changed the moment fog came. It spread quickly; engulfed them almost in an instant. They tried to communicate with each other, but failed. Their voices didn't come out.

One of them tried to shoot, as if to alert their colleagues inside but, to his horror, his gun failed to make any sound as well.

And then, figures appeared running towards them in the mist. They were human-shaped, covered in heavy capes. Animal appendages were visible on their bodies as they came closer, engulfed in silence.

_Faunus!_ They thought and reactively raised their weapons. That was the last thing the four men in patrol would ever do in their lives.

A large jeep, carrying a heavy machinegun on its top jumped through the mist. Two hyena faunus with grey skin and protruding jaws were driving it, while a third one opened fire.

Without even one shot being heard, the defenders dropped dead. The assailants jumped and dragged their corpses away from the cameras before the fog cleared.

A brown-haired man with green skin ripples over his body and a large reptilian tail reached the door and smashed it open. He turned to the others and started making gestures.

One after another, twelve armed faunus stormed inside the building, led by a tall man with yellow hair, matching thick mustache and big, muscled hairy arms.

Immediately, everyone's scrolls beeped. "Damn" one whispered. "You said Kendrick's ability would hold more, Carlo!" "Nothing we can do" the yellow-haired man replied.

"Plan remains the same" the green-skinned one, Kendrick, said. "Only the method has changed. Go!" he shouted.

To say what followed was a fight, would be an overstatement. The three hyena faunus siblings, Baz, Ed and Sen, ran up to the personnel room and assaulted the resting guards.

The humans reached for their weapons, but their fate had already been sealed. Ed kicked them all inside the room as Baz emptied his Gatling gun inside, splattering blood all over the walls.

Sen ran to the monitor room. Three people were inside, visibly trying to reach the guards down in the ground. She stepped in, drawing her blade, licking her lips.

The first to see her lost his head before he could even scream. His colleague, a middle-aged woman in office clothes, fell back screaming "Please, don't hurt me! PLEASE! AAAAG-"

The third one was a goat faunus. Possibly a local. Oh, she was going to enjoy that one. The man tried to run away, her hysterical laughter echoing behind the locked door as she started hacking his flesh.

Carlo's team was not as brutal, but made up for this in efficiency. A couple bullets in the right places were enough to take down anyone trying to defend the communications' room.

He stepped in pleased to see that save for the three corpses on the floor nothing else was harmed. Their Boss had made it clear they needed the facility intact. Suddenly, his radio beeped.

"What is going on?" he asked. _"Two guards escaped; they were hiding in the cafeteria"_ Baz's cackling voice replied to him. _Incompetent fools…_ "I am on my way" he said. _"Same here"_ Kendrick added in the intercom.

He jumped down the corridor. If his experience was true, the guard would try to set the outer alarm system all facilities had. _In that case…_

A large jump brought him face to face with his target. The human drew his handgun and opened fire, but he was too slow. Carlo twisted his gun off and then immediately snapped his neck, tossing his corpse away.

Inside the corridor, Kendrick had already found the last one, running down a ladder. He calmed down and activated his semblance, before starting to run towards the guard.

All of his sounds negated by his ability, the komodo faunus reached the lower part undetected and managed to use his powerful tail to trip the man. A quick slice with his pair of falchions ended his life instantly.

"Your skills are as terrifying as always" Carlo told him when he found him. "I could say the same. Good job taking them all down quickly; unlike the trio moron."

"I told Boss they acted stupid again; I hope he will finally dispose of them. They do not belong among us." The reptile-man rubbed his lips. "You already talked to him?"

"Yes. I wanted to ask him to let me be the one to go to Mantle for supplies." "How come?" he asked, confused by the urgency in the man's tone.

"This place is too close to Gloomharrow Valley and Everfrost Peak. I don't want to spend much time here. Especially if Boss starts the weird rituals again."

"Careful there, buddy" Kendrick took a serious face. "These words are not something you should say so casually. We have quite the few listeners among us."

"Another thing I dislike. We can't even trust our own people lately, Kendrick. I just need a few days off to clear my mind. These last months have been different than what I expected- or wanted."

A pair of sharp, yellow reptilian eyes narrowed. "Do anything you wish, buddy. But never forget one thing; Fenris has dyed the moon red with the blood of his victims."

"I know that" Carlo replied to his friend. "Then do what you think you must. And be in peace, my friend. He will not learn anything from me."


	43. Shock and Doubt

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope as great as I do! **

**Chapter 43 is up. I hope you like it!**

**Thanks for reading/commenting/following. I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't help but want to express my appreciation for all of you. **

**So, until next week, have fun!**

* * *

**January 26****th****, 86**

**City of Mantle, outside of Ms. Flinch's house**

"For the last time, I told you no" Weiss voice was not high-pitched as usual, but her tone was anything but friendly. "I can go on my own to visit my sister's grave."

Dressed in a heavy coat to endure the abysmal cold of Mantle this time of year, Yang stared at her in confusion. "I just told you that I can come with you if you need company."

"Since I got out of the hospital, you have been over my head for everything Yang" she scoffed. "You don't even allow me to fetch my breakfast! I can and deserve to have one morning off."

Yang's eyes took a hurt expression "you never complained about me taking care of you before. I just wanted to make you feel better."

Weiss bit her lip and turned her back. "I will be in time for Dr. Polendina's visit." She then started walking away.

Yang rushed after her. "Baby, please. Don't do that! We have to talk about this!" Weiss didn't turn around, she merely waved her head.

"Maybe; but I don't want to talk about this right now." She then left, leaving a flabbergasted Yang stare at her in the middle of the snow-covered street.

**December of 82, Ms. Flinch's house, City of Mantle**

"What do you mean by that?" Yang asked Weiss who was glaring holes at her. Her eyes were gleaming, despite the dim night lamp.

Everyone else was asleep, save for Mr. Polendina, who was monitoring team LEAD's recovery and Blake, who was upstairs getting ready for a night out with the blonde.

Like they had been doing every night for the past three weeks. "I mean, I don't want to talk about this. Will you please now let me go out?"

Yang's heart was beating fast. Being so close to the petite girl was something she lately had trouble doing without messing around, but this time was different.

Because Weiss had announced during the dinner that she was going out tonight. To Mantle. On her own. To get a drink in a bar.

And that had followed a couple of days where she had not only been hostile towards Yang; she had been spiteful and demeaning towards almost everyone.

Heck, she had fought with Ruby yesterday- something that hadn't happened since the first semester at Beacon!

Simply put… "Weiss, you are acting weird. You are scaring me." "Oh, so now you suddenly care?" She took one step back at the remark. _Ok, I didn't expect that answer, of all things._

"You have been neglecting all of us for the last three weeks, going out with Blake in the night, eating together in the morning, showing her games in the afternoon."

_Wait, is she… crying? _"Ruby has talked to you fewer times that I have talked to Jaune. You didn't even notice my new earrings!"

"Hey, Weiss, calm down please! I-" "If you want to date Blake, I am fine and happy for you! But pushing us aside like this hurts more your thick head can possibly imagine!"

_WAIT, WHAT? _"Weiss what are you talking about? Me and Blake are not-" "Goodnight, Yang. Have fun" taking advantage of her momentary stun, the petite lady walked past Yang and stepped out of the house.

"I can't believe this!" Blake said, as she ran across the street, her dejected partner in tow. "How did you let things turn that way?"

"I don't know! I just needed some time to get my mind in order! Why did it turn out like this?" she groaned, more furious about herself, than anything else.

"Well, we do spend a lot of time together lately" the currently short-haired faunus replied. "But that doesn't mean anything!" a whine was heard from behind her.

"Considering how fun we are having lately and all the secrets we have shared, it's not a big stretch. If only someone had warned you about how stupid it would be to ignore Weiss until you sort your feelings out."

Blake stopped and glared at her best friend. "Oh, wait. _I DID_!" she shot at her. "Gee, thanks. Kick Yang while she is down. Way to go, partner."

"Yang" Blake raised an eyebrow. "Your idea and shenanigans have pushed Weiss to the point of probably getting wasted in a bar, surrounded by Dust-knows-what kind of people. Don't act smart right now, will you?"

Yang's heart skipped a beat. Sure, Weiss was just frustrated because she thought they would abandon her since they had, in her mind, become a couple.

But a tiny little part of her mind couldn't stop thinking that Weiss Schnee, the gorgeous, elegant girl that drank only soda, sparkling water and black coffee, was getting drunk for her sake.

Somehow, that idea made her feel even worse. "Let's go find her before something truly bad happens" she said, earning a firm nod of approval.

In a totally anticlimactic turn of events, they found her inside the closest bar; a small, yet tidy place that attracted more travelers than workers or huntsmen.

Weiss was half-asleep, face flat on the bar, next to the tall, black-haired ox faunus that owned it. Yang and Blake stepped next to her, their faces a mixture of relief and concern.

"Is she your friend?" the man said. "Yes, we apologize for the inconvenience" Blake said. The man laughed heartily and picked the empty glass up.

"Inconvenience? If only every troublemaker was like her! She downed a few beers, got really dizzy and fell like this!" he said.

"Girl can't hold her drink- and judging from what she has been mumbling in her stupor, maybe it's for the best she doesn't. Ladies like her are not suited for alcohol, despite how hard they may have it."

He scratched his beard. "But man, if you told me one day that Weiss Schnee of all people would come to get drunk in my bar, I would call you crazy!" he laughed again, stepping away to serve.

Yang resisted the urge to caress the girl's soft-looking hair and moved to grab her, but as soon as she picked her up, Weiss let an adorable shriek and jumped off the chair.

"Y-Yang? Blake? Whouat are yu two doing hiar?" her half-drunk words made them both exchange a worried glare.

"We are here for you, Weiss" Yang said. "To take you home. You have to rest." Weiss looked at Blake and smiled at her, making the faunus' look at her sadly.

"Ressst? And let yu two have fun? No way!" She moved forward and pointed her finger at the dumbstruck black-haired girl. "Damn, that sucks. Am I druuunk?" she said, feeling dizzy.

"Yeah, but nothing serious. You just need some sleep. And lots of water." She took a very forced, nearly comical thoughtful expression. "I ssseeee… then tomorrow it iss."

"Tomorrow?" Yang asked. "What is going to be tomorrow?" The cyan-eyed woman stood up proudly and shouted with all her might something that would get carved on Yang's mind for the rest of her life.

"Blake Belladonaa! I, Weissh of the Schnee family, challenge you to a duel for the-" she coughed a little "for the privilege of going out with Yang Xiao Long!"

-o—

**Atlas Military Cemetery**

After Ironwood's assassination and Watts' plan had been revealed to the public, General Albion who replaced Ironwood had given the late Winter Schnee a hero's funeral.

Her grave was in front of a colossal marble statue, depicting the huntress that gave her life defending Atlas in a solemn and serene state, eternally watching over the city from the Northern hill.

A series of towering Cedar Trees surrounded it, offering the last home of the woman a considerable isolation in comparison to those of her fellow soldiers.

Dressed in her pale blue suit, long white overcoat draped over her shoulders, Weiss was seated in front of the picturesque memorial, silently grateful for the lack of any intrusion.

"And, that's what happened. I… was close to crying. I wanted so much to stop; to turn around and tell her how delicious her breakfasts all these days have been" she wiped her tears away with a handkerchief.

"I wanted to tell her how much I love her and how lucky I am to have someone like Yang taking care of my selfish needs." She elegantly blew her nose.

"But of course, instead of doing all these, I let my pride take over. I refused to even talk to her, as if she isn't the best thing that has ever happened to me; all to hide my shame!"

Weiss wiped her eye again. "Call me stupid, Win. Please, do it. Someone has to do it at some point! Someone has to stop me!" Weiss was now trying to contain her tears, but couldn't.

Instead, she put her soaked her handkerchief back in her coat's pocket. She stared at the cold, white marble stone in front of her.

_**Lieutenant General Specialist Winter J. Schnee**_

_**56-82**_

_**Beloved daughter, sister, friend and comrade**_

_**Hero of Atlas**_

_**May her wings never be clipped. **_

Just above them was a picture of Winter during her Special Forces initiation ceremony. She was fierce and serious-looking, but filled with the same determination she had always radiated during her life.

"Tell me why, Win" Weiss shut her eye. "You always were there to tell me why; why did I walk away after hurting Yang, when the only thing I wanted was to stop and let her hug me?"

Of course, there was no response. Only silence. Winter was not here. She had stopped taking care of Weiss three years ago. She opened her eye again, her vision a little blurry from tears.

"Why do I refuse Yang's love? Ruby's affection? Blake's support? Why can't I stop this disgusting feeling that I _don't need their help_ from taking over my mind?"

She gasped for breath. "Why is my first reaction to revert to an attitude I had long ago cast off? Why is it to demean and shout towards the ones I love?"

"That is because you are coming up to terms with your situation, dear sister." The voice snapped Weiss out of her crying state.

She turned around, her hand instinctively reaching for her sword. But it froze after she saw who had just spoken.

"Whitley" she hissed. Her younger brother was standing in front of her. He was dressed in a two-piece expensive suit with a large, equally expensive coat and held a bouquet in his glove-covered hands.

He had his short blonde hair neatly kept and his blue eyes seriously sharper than she remembered them. Two men, dressed in the SDC uniforms, were standing a few meters behind him.

"What are you doing here, Whitley?" she asked. "Why, sister" his face took an expression of fake surprise "I am here to pay respects to Winter; I come by every month, you know."

"I find it hard to believe" she looked around. "Where are the news cameras and press you are going to pose for?"

The man walked past her and let the flowers on top of the grave, right next to Weiss'. "I pose for them once a year during Winter's memorial. The other times I come for myself."

"Now, that's a surprise. I thought you didn't care for Winter as your sister." Whitley sighed. "Is insulting me the only way you can communicate, dear Weiss? I am not Father, you know."

"You have never given me a reason to actually consider communicating with you, Whitley. So, stop playing the faithful one and tell me if you knew I was here or not."

He smirked at her. "Well, no I didn't. My reasons for coming here are my own, but you are not among them. That much I can ensure you."

"Then why did you eavesdrop at me?" He pretended to be thinking- Weiss noted he had become quite good at it. "I just heard you talking about something bothering you and it picked my interest, that's all."

Weiss was fuming. She didn't want anyone to hear to her thoughts and feelings; and even if she did, her little brother was definitely not among the list.

On the other hand, he had mentioned something that had struck her, if only a little. "What did you mean I am coming up to terms with my situation?" she asked curiously.

He gave her a haughty smile. "Isn't it obvious? You are finally realizing what you wasted your life on- and it hurts more than what you could imagine."

She took one step forward, letting her eye patch show under her waving bangs. She didn't want to engage into a verbal fight with him, but he had crossed the line. Again.

"Isn't that why are you crying in front of our dead sister's grave on your own, after having pushed your friends away?" he asked again.

"I- I…" she paused. She had to give him an answer, but… what was she going to tell him, when she didn't even know for herself?

"Let me answer you; because you just realized this is the end of your life as you imagined it. I don't know what happened to you, since no media released any info, but I can guess at least that much."

"This is…far from the end! I can still fight!" "Yes. But is it that easy?" the boy told her. "From what I heard you telling Winter, you don't have nightmares, or illusions."

"Exactly" she replied. "As soon as I fix my eye, I will be back! I will-" The boy didn't reply. Instead, he stood there, waiting. Expecting for her to finish.

"You will never be the same again; that's what you refuse to admit, dear sister." He finally told her.

"You are starting to realize that you are not invincible; that you can die at any moment. And that your death will be as any other huntress, nothing more."

"I am not _any other_ huntress!" she screamed. Her face was red and filled in anger. "I helped take down Salem! As part of team RWBY!"

"That is more or less, something that any huntress would do in your place, Weiss. Any huntress could end up in your place and perform as a member of RWBY. That doesn't make you special."

He narrowed his eyes "the only thing that ever made you special is the Schnee Legacy. You could endure, take the company and then change it."

"What are you talking about?" she said. "If you truly wanted to help, you could wait, take SDC from father, and then use its immense power to help others. This is something only you, as Weiss Schnee, could do."

She didn't reply, so Whitley continued. "But instead, you joined a huntress' team and went out fighting monsters, something anyone with enough training can do."

And then Weiss realized what her brother meant. And it hit her hard. It hit her so close to home; she had to muster all her willpower to not stumble.

"There is no return to the battlefield for you, Weiss" he said. "Because any time you will get hurt, you will realize that losing your chance to redeem our name is one step away.

Weiss Schnee died the day you chose the life of a huntress over that of a CEO and along with it your chance to see your dreams realized. You just had to spend five years to understand it."

-o—

**Dr. Polendina's House, Mantle**

"Yaaaang" Ruby whined towards her sister, who had just completed her 10th kilometer of walk around the waiting room. "You are making me dizzy. Please calm down."

"Ruby is right, friend Yang" Penny, in her usual attire and mannerism, replied. "You are not increasing the chances of Weiss's recovery and are undermining your own health this way."

"Penny, we love you" Blake commented. "You know we do. But this is not the time for pep talks- I think Yang is going to explode of anxiety and you are truly not helping her."

"Duly noted" the robotic girl replied. "I apologize and will take her feelings into further consideration. Maybe read a book about psychological support-"

"WHAT IS TAKING THEM SO LONG?!" the brawler finally erupted, to the surprise of no one. "He is just examining her, isn't he?" she asked, fuming.

"My father knows what he is doing, friend Yang. Do not worry- if he is taking his time, it is definitely for a good reason" the mechanical voice replied, earning a 'good job' gesture from the other two girls.

"Geez, I hate it when I have to wait like this- it makes me extra anxious! But you are right" she deflated. "I am not helping anyone; especially Weiss."

Ruby stood up and walked right next to her sister. "Weiss is strong- you know that better than anyone else. She survived a fight no other huntsman would. She will return- and she will be even stronger."

Yang stared at her and nodded. She wanted to tell Ruby that her own feelings on that matter were not so optimistic. That she was seeing so many alarms in her girlfriend's latest behavior.

She wanted to tell her little sister how much Weiss reminded her of herself when she had lost her arm and refused to cooperate even with her father.

Yes, she wanted to tell her all these. But she didn't get the chance to do so. The door opened and a large mechanical chair stepped out of the operation room.

"Father!" Penny enthusiastically said. "How is-" "How is she, Doctor? Is she fine? Will she be able to do the operation?" Yang cut her off, albeit a little rudely, but she would apologize later.

Pietro Polendina looked at team RBY who had all lined up in front of him and were staring at him in concern and reserved hope. He smiled softly, but for some reason Yang couldn't bring herself to follow suit.

"She is sleeping right now. I gave her a mild sedative, since it seemed her mind has been very tired. I suggest letting her rest for a while; she has a lot of things bottled up inside her" the elderly man replied.

"As for the operation, Doctor Canvass was right. The damage is truly heavy, but not to the point it's irreplaceable. The operation of installing an artificial eye would be a simple one."

Blake smiled and Ruby shot her fists up in a silent victory pose. Even Penny smiled widely. But Yang didn't share their enthusiasm. "Doctor; why did you say it 'would' be a simple one?"

Pietro Polendina looked at her, his expression suddenly turning serious. Yang didn't like it. She knew that look. She had seen it so many times in her own darkest hour.

Her father had the same look when she had tossed Ironwood's arm on her bed without even trying it. Professors Port and Oobleck had the same one as well back then; she hated it.

So, when he replied to her, she was ready. She was truly ready, because she knew exactly what Mr. Polendina would tell her. "Because I asked Miss Schnee and she replied she doesn't want to have the operation."

She knew that would be the answer; she had been seeing the signs all along from that day in the hospital- and it tore Yang's heart to pieces.

Weiss wasn't falling into self-pity; she had already dived deep inside it.

**Carmel Communications' office building, Sophia Carmel office**

"So this is the closest you have been to him?" Sophia asked the brown- haired man standing in front of her. "A three month-old surveillance video?"

Wenge Knight, her left hand man, nodded in approval. "We established that Dahlias was moving towards North Atlas at the time, which is a great improvement if I am allowed to say, Madam."

He was of average height, but had a strong jaw and sculpted build despite entering his early forties. His deep black eyes and slightly tanned skin gave him an exotic appearance that made him very popular with Atlas' ladies.

Sophia didn't care enough to pay attention to such a sentiment, of course. Wenge was one of the most capable employees of the CC and one of the two people in Remnant she could trust with her life.

"Yes, I assume you are right. Good job Wenge." He nodded and smiled, just a second before a knock sounded from the door. "May I enter, Young Miss?" the voice was deep and affectionate, if a little rasped.

"Come in, Peros." The door opened and a tall, bearded, white-haired man stepped in. He was slightly muscular too, but his figure was much thinner and seemed at least a decade older than Wenge.

Peros Bishop was the personal bodyguard of Sophia Carmel and her right hand man. Despite his elderly appearance, the young woman was certain very few people in Remnant could take on the ex-specialist and survive to tell the tale.

His deep blue eyes acknowledged Wenge and greeted him respectfully before he turned to his charge. "I apologize for disrupting your meeting, Young Lady, Mr. Knight."

"It's fine. We were discussing about Dahlias, after all. What is the matter?" The man didn't reply immediately; instead passed her a report file.

She opened it as he started explain "two days ago, we lost contact with one of our observation facilities in North Atlas. We tried to re-establish connection, as per protocol, but to no avail."

"You can't be serious" the businesswoman gasped. "This is our facility tasked with surveillance and data gathering of Everfrost Peak!" "And Gloomharrow valley" the younger man exclaimed.

"This is the area where Dahlias was spotted, right Wenge?" "Precisely, Madam. In fact, the surveillance video that I showed you came from that very facility."

That was serious. _Very_ serious. "Is there any possibility of a leak? Of someone having overheard us when I entrusted you with my secret?" she asked her subordinates.

"I am sure there is no such issue. But I can't also ignore the possibility of Dahlias having found Alginos' tomb somehow, despite our best efforts to keep it a secret."

"About that, Sophia" Peros stoically gave her a flash drive. "What is this?" she asked, taking it.

"During the past two days, we only managed to reestablish connection with the facility once. It was this video being broadcasted."

"Did anyone else see it?" "No. It was directly sent to your office and I intercepted it as per your instructions." "I see…" she connected the drive and selected the single file inside it.

At first, she saw a small room with a series of small candle lights and a chair in the middle. But then, the image became clearer and her heart nearly stopped.

Seated on that chair, tied up and horribly bleeding, was Dahlias. He was either dead or very near to it and his state indicated a really painful torture had taken place before that.

Next to him was a bench where a series of bloody surgical tools were spread and in front of them the tall figure of a man.

He was wearing a ceremonial brown robe, filled and dripping in blood, and used a cowl to cover his face, despite staring at the camera.

"**I warn you"** the voice was deep and feral, filled with cold and controlled malice. **"If you are not Sophia Carmel, nothing you see or hear will make any sense. So close the video, for your sake." **

_What the fuck am I looking at?_ The woman was dumbstruck. The brutality of the scene plus the seriousness of the voice was horrifying.

"**Greetings, Miss Carmel. I know we haven't officially met yet, but I have heard so many things about you from our common friend over here"** he pointed at Dahlias' corpse.

"**In fact, judging at what he told me during his stay with us, I would say I know more things about you than the rest of Remnant. But rest assured I am not intending to tell anyone- at least for now." **

"**I will go straight to the point. At the end of this video, you will find directions about a place inside Aegis Forest, just before Everfrost Peak Mountains."**

A low growl was heard from below the cowl.** "On February 7th, I want you to bring me three barrels of Prof. Azure's concoction in that exact point. I will send my men to gather it." **

"**Of course, you can always decline. And then I will only have to broadcast in the entire Remnant about the Eldergrimm sleeping under Gloomharrow valley; and how you were fully aware of this all along." **

"That asshole" Wenge gritted his teeth. "He is blackmailing you!"

"**You are a smart woman; I know you will make the right choice."** He stopped for a moment and seemed like thinking of something.

"**Oh right, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself!"** He grabbed the camera with his glove-covered left arm and glared at it. Only a pair of shining green eyes was visible.

"**My name is Gray Fenris, leader of the Blood Moon Company. I am looking forward to working with you, Ms. Carmel." **


	44. The World won't stand still for our Sake

**Hello again everyone! How are you doing? **

**Chapter 44 is here. I hope you enjoy it! **

**As always, thank you so much for keeping up with the story; I am grateful to all of you! See you next week! **

* * *

**February 3****rd****, 86**

**City of Mantle **

Once more, Weiss found herself walking over the snow-covered streets of Mantle in the early morning. Yesterday's snowfall had left the city in a half-frozen state, but the immense cold didn't bother her.

Ok, if she wanted to be honest, it bothered her a little, but clearing her thoughts was more important than her health. She laughed at the stupid thought that just passed through her mind.

The girl walked across a large parking district. It was of course so early that only a few cars were left in it. It was better this way.

Not many people to bother her were around and her girlfriend was still asleep. Blake was meeting Ilia, so there was plenty of time for a walk.

Standing at the edge of the road, she stood up, looking at the grey sky. Today was going to be another dull day- like yesterday. And it was all her fault.

Ms. Flinch was barely around, visiting her grandchildren in Argus for the winter. Mr. Polendina and Penny were outside the kingdom as well, in some sort of scientific mission to Vacuo.

That gave Blake and Yang lots of space to stretch around- and lots of time to try and be around Weiss as well. There was nothing else to do in the lower city; and thanks to her, the team's morale was anything but high.

Unsurprisingly, both girls had been extremely careful with how they treated her. They gave her tons of space, didn't press or question her when she told them her decision and respected her stupid wishes.

For some reason, that kind of gentle treatment made the Atlesian woman feel even worse. Weiss rubbed her cheek- it was getting numb. A sensation her heart and spirits seemed to share with it lately.

Only Nora's gift book, for some reason, managed to offer her a tiny bit of amusement. She felt like she could share a little of Blake's fascination with books now; it was great to lose yourself inside them for a while.

Her scroll rang. She picked it up, briefly seeing Ruby's smiling image displayed at the caller's ID. Weiss sighed and pushed the 'Yes' button.

"Good morning, Ruby. How are you?" "Good morning, Weiss! I am fine! Vale is still cold, but not even close to Atlas!" the chipper voice replied.

"That's good to hear; how's everyone doing?" she asked, her voice more emotionless than she liked it to be. She might have been not in her best of days, but she truly cared for the others. Ruby knew that.

"Jaune's recuperating fast! Goodwitch told him that in a few days he will be stationed to Cypress for official training with Nora's division! She was so excited; we nearly lost a wall when I told her!"

A small smile appeared on the pale woman's face. _Of course he would get over it; Arc is strong, unlike someone else_. "Weiss, you are thinking something stupid, aren't you?"

"Is there any point denying it?" she conceded without even a fight. But her partner wouldn't have any of it. "Weiss, you have it tough. I know you do. We _all_ know you do" she emphasized that part.

"I know, Ruby. I know I am not being myself lately, but I just… need some more time." She licked her lips to warm them "I know there is no reason to avoid the surgery, but-"

"You don't feel ready for it, Weiss. This is more than enough reason for me. And I can guarantee Blake and Yang feel the same. If you need more time, take it."

Weiss smiled as her leader finished her morning sermon. "We are all going to be there for you, anytime you decide, no matter what you decide."

"Thank you, Ruby" Weiss touched her eye patch. The cold seemed to hurt it again. "But please, talk to Yang at some point. You know how much it pains her to see you like this" the reaper added.

"I know. But I have no idea what to tell her. I can't even stand to look myself in a mirror, how am I supposed to talk with Yang? Especially when I don't know what to tell her?"

"How about 'I love you, please bear with me for a while?' Does this sound good?" The familiar voice made Weiss' veins freeze. She turned around- and came face to face with the tall blonde woman.

_This is the second time in a week I get eavesdropped without noticing! Damn, Schnee! _"Ruby, we will talk later. Give everyone my best regards and tell Zwei I love him. Goodbye."

She lowered her scroll, under Yang's fierce, yet caring glare. "How did you find me?" she blurted, despite the answer being fairly obvious.

"You have been doing this every single morning last week, taking the same route at the same hour, thinking that I am fast asleep."

"I see…" she looked away, shrinking under the blonde's gaze. "Sorry for waking you up; you have been pretty exhausted lately."

"It's for you; so I don't care." Yang walked closer to her "but I care about seeing you like this, Snowpuff. When are you going to talk to me about your problem? Like you always do?"

"I…" the pale woman didn't raise her head. The same thing happened again, like it did every time she wanted to talk to her team about her fears.

The eye throbbed with immense pain. She endured. Yang looked at her sadly. Weiss wanted to tell her something, _anything_, but… "Words aren't coming out, do they?" the taller girl finally asked her.

"I'm sorry…" she whimpered. Why was she acting this way? Why was she suddenly so hesitant to talk to her family? Why were Whitley's stupid words still lingering inside her head? "It just feels…"

"Like your heart got sealed" the warm voice was closer. Weiss could easily feel her breathing next to her ears. "Yes…"

"You feel hollow. You have lost the will to do anything positive or creative, because it seems pointless to you" Yang continued. "Yes…" she blinked a few tears away.

"You keep telling yourself that this is normal and you should accept it, but still fight your own feelings away. You are wallowing and finding comfort in self-pity, like slowly sinking in thick water."

"…" Weiss turned her gaze upwards and starred at her lover's warm gaze. "You are slowly sinking to the dark pit, but refuse to even try escaping your fate."

She closed her eyes, accepting the truth of these words. "Everything looks different now to you, even me. And that's the problem. You are afraid to admit it. Because it sounds stupid, doesn't it?"

"It IS stupid!" for the first time in quite a few weeks, Weiss screamed at her. Had she not been taken aback, Yang would be smiling with joy right now.

"I survived! I fought a battle no one else did! I sealed an ancient evil on my own and lived to tell the tale! Ruby was grinning like an idiot when I told her what I did! And yet…AND YET!"

Weiss gave a slow, almost childish, punch a Yang's shoulder "there is no reason for me to feel this way! I should be happy and prideful! Those feelings… are wrong! They shouldn't exist! I should be better than this!"

Yang's arms wrapped Weiss, allowing the girl to hide her shame inside her hug. "You can't be accusing yourself of what you feel, Snowpuff."

"It's wrong and stupid!" she muffled. "Your feelings exist, no matter what you are trying to tell yourself. The wrong part is ignoring or fighting them."

She gripped her harder, and whispered in her ear. "Trust me; I have been there. I have felt the exact same thing. It took me months to get over it. To realize how wrong I was, trying to fight my fears instead of resolving them."

"It's not the same; you are strong. You have always been." "And you are even stronger." "How come?" Yang smiled, despite Weiss not being able to see it.

"You are Weiss fucking Schnee; the W of team RWBY. The Warrior Princess of SHU. The woman who defies all logic and caution when it is about the ones she loves."

She hugged her even tighter "but for some reason always fails to take care of herself." "I feel numb…" the petite girl whispered. "I love you so much… but I can't feel anything right now."

"I know…" Yang whispered back "trust me Snowflake. I know that better than anyone. And I promise to you; I won't let you alone in this."

"You don't have to wait for-" "Don't finish that stupid line, Weiss. I am here. No matter what you want to do from now on- be it returning to action or retiring to a farm and tending to cows- I am here for you."

"I am sure I don't want to tend to cows" she slightly chuckled. "Thank Dust, cause I was kidding" Yang laughed back.

They stayed like this for a while, paying no heed to the chilling atmosphere. "I love you Yang. Please bear with me for a little more."

She nodded in affection "anything for my Princess. I am not ever leaving you alone. Ever."

-o—

Unlike the peace and quiet of the civilian district, the industrial area was already bustling. Starting their jobs quite early in the morning, the workers and miners of Mantle didn't have the luxury of enough rest.

The faunus population who formed them was already on the run, drying and cleaning the humidity off the mechanical apparatuses- the very lifeline of thousands of people around them.

Slowly and steadily, the loud hum of large machinery echoed in the freshly-cleaned roads and the bright red dust illuminated the powerful forges that supported the city's main heating facilities.

Around the main buildings and offices, countless convoys made of workers were already leaving for the mines, passing by and ignoring the small, abandoned alleys broken pieces of equipment were stacked in.

Inside such an alley, Blake was chatting with a petite shorter girl. They were both tugged in heavy winter coats with hoods pulled on to conceal their faces.

Having not changed a lot since Blake had last seen her, Ilia still tied up her brown hair in a chameleon-shaped ponytail. Her outfit was also including the same Maroon-colored jeans she had picked up in Mistral.

Her blue-grayish eyes shone with a little bit of playfulness as she finished the telling of her story. "Wait, so you never asked her if she truly liked you?" the cat-girl asked.

"She… wasn't inspiring. Save for the physical part, that is" Ilia's face literally flushed red, her dark spots of her skin getting a dark brown tinge. "I just never felt the need to go after her; that's all."

"That makes us how many, seven, this year? I never thought you would turn out to be such a heart robber, Ilia" Blake chuckled. "I am not doing it on purpose!" she replied. "Not everyone can find a Blake for them, tell your stupid fiancé."

"Sun says he misses you too" she ignored the jab. "And for the record, he tried a lot to finally make me crack. You can't be sure if it's worth it if you are pulling away when the first problem appears."

The red hue got swapped with a slightly greenish one. "How can I say for sure if a person is worth fighting for? It's not easy, you know."

"It never is. And unfortunately, there is no method for it. But your style of not getting too close is a no go in such cases." The chameleon girl nodded "I guess you are right. Again."

"Don't be like that" Blake gently smiled at her old friend. "Despite what we have experienced, we are still young- take your time to find what you are looking for." She then took a more serious expression.

"Speaking of time, your informant is running late. I hope he is not pulling anything funny on us." The brunette shook her head and checked the path in front of them.

"Even Gray's minions are not so foolish as to pull a stunt in the middle of Mantle industrial area. Worst case scenario, he just chickened out and left."

"That's impossible" a low, heavy voice interrupted them. Both women slowly and carefully turned around and saw a figure enter the alley from a back door.

Blake stared at Ilia in astonishment "Carlo Custard? That is your informant?" The other girl nodded in approval. "Carlo is one of the few ex-WF members still working with Fenris, so it was easy reaching him."

"Yes. He is also one of the people closest to him. Why would you ever betray Fenris, Carlo?" she stared at the man in disbelief.

"There have been quite a few implications, Blake. It's good to see you again" he calmly remarked. "But to ease your concerns, there is no such thing as 'chicken out' when one has decided to cross Blood Moon."

"Then why? You were one of the most adamant in supporting him back then. What changed?" she was confused, indeed, but if Carlo was truly betraying his leader then they might actually have a chance finding him.

"Gray has lost it. And before you say he already was a lunatic, let me stop you. He is a cold, calculating, bloodthirsty beast, but he never was foolish. Until we pillaged our latest convoy, that is."

"The attack in Dobaroth? What was so special about it?" Ilia asked. The man scoffed. "Yes- which led in another assault to a secret facility stationed near Everfrost Peak."

"Why would anyone be interested in that God-forsaken place?" the chameleon girl gasped. Next to her, Blake was listening intently.

"Taking it down the Dobaroth convoy was a mere supply run. But that wasn't the problem. What came after is. Among the prisoners we took, was a weird old man carrying a talisman with him."

"Talisman?" the cat girl's eyebrow rose. "Yes. The senile fool was some sort of street preacher, telling all sorts of idiotic stories. And for some reason, Gray believed them!"

"Wait; are you telling me the Old Wolf suddenly turned religious?" she asked again. "I find it hard to believe-"

"I am not talking about religion, Belladonna" he cut her. "That senile fool showed Gray _something_. That something made him cancel all of our plans and settle down there."

"That sounds weird, but barely a reason to betray him" Ilia commented. "You didn't see him, Amitola" the man's eyes bulged as he leaned over them and whispered.

"You didn't see him throwing away all his weapons and armor, changing them with ceremonial robes. You didn't see him going out to hunt Grimm on his own and then return, bathed in their blood and bearing scars and wounds that wouldn't heal."

"That…" "You were not there to see him order us carry large ceremonies, praying loudly to forsaken things. You didn't hear the wind howl in the night, or see shadows cast in walls without anything to create them!"

Ilia was speechless; Carlo had been a seasoned warrior and a battle-hardened veteran that had once faced a group of paladins with his team and survived to tell the tale.

But this behavior was… out of the ordinary. She turned around to ask Blake- and stopped, taking in the rare frightened expression of her friend.

"Carlo… those stories… can you describe me what the old man said?" "I have no idea. Gray is the only one who managed to get them out of the preacher. And with intense effort, mind you."

"Do you maybe remember the talisman? The one he wore?" she asked, visibly shaken. "That I remember. It was a gold talisman with green gems, very beautiful. Could easily fetch a high price, but Gray took it for him."

"Do you remember its pattern maybe?" He took in a thoughtful expression. "It was the head of a Grimm; an Ursa I think?"

Blake felt her heart stop for a couple seconds. The coincidences were way too many for her to even consider denying it. That man had a connection to Cherry somehow.

And he had talked to one of the most dangerous faunus of all Remnant, revealing him Dust knows how many information about things she didn't even want to consider.

Her mind went to Weiss, bleeding out of her left eye. Ruby, pressing a wet bandage to her shoulder. Yang, holding her broken rib while running. Blake shivered. _No… of all things, NOT THIS!_

She took a few rasped breaths, forcing her tense nerves to relax. After she had significantly managed to calm down, she heard Ilia asking the man.

"Thank you Carlo. I promise we will make good use of your information. But tell me one more thing. Who owns this facility?"

He looked around before he finally replied. "It belongs to Carmel Communications Company."

-o—

"That fits with what I wanted to tell you" Ruby's voice sounded through the scroll. "It could be a coincidence for all I know" Blake replied in her headphone while storming through the streets.

According to standard protocols, she and Ilia had followed different routes after their encounter with Carlo had ended.

She then had immediately decided to talk to her leader, since she didn't know the state Weiss and Yang were in. Surprisingly, it seemed Ruby wanted to talk to her as well.

"I don't think so, Blake" the reaper answered in a rare display of out-of-field seriousness. "I wanted to tell you this when you were all together, but yesterday Lumia finished the cracking of the first archive of Merlot's files."

"And?" she asked. "Did it reveal anything?" "According to the files, only six companies ordered such alloys during the last ten years. And one among them is Carmel Communications."

"You just dispelled all of my doubts Ruby. Someone inside this company is working with Alizar and Cherry." "Mhm~" "So, we have to find a way to infiltrate them and find who this might be." "Mhm~"

The black-haired beauty stopped walking. "You already have a plan, don't you?" The giggle that sounded instead of an answer confirmed it.

"Erik told me that Carmel Comms is holding anniversary ball tomorrow night! So, team WBY, under the command of Weiss-Captain, will send its three fashionable ladies to infiltrate it!"

"What?" "Your mission; find the one connecting Fenris' prisoner, Alizar, Cherry and Yugure. I will probably reach Atlas the day after the ball to see how we will proceed from there!"

"Wait, Ruby! This is-" "I wish you all good luck! We will be in touch! See you!" The phone shut and Blake remained in the middle of the street, right in front of Ms. Flinch's house.

Without realizing it, she stepped in; still trying to process the information she had received in one single morning. And came face to face with Weiss' naked back.

Fortunately for the faunus, only the petite girl's back was naked. Next to her Yang stood, a measuring tape in her hand and a pen in her ear.

"Hello Blake! Judging from your face, Ruby just told you the plan, didn't she?" the blonde asked after she shut the door behind her. "I will be done with Weiss in a few minutes then will take your measures."

"You mean you are ok with this?" Yang grinned. "I believe it's an excellent plan. Much better than sitting around brooding all day."

Yellow eyes fell on cyan hoping for support but to her dismay, there was none. "I don't like it as well, but it suits me more than fighting at this point" she flatly announced.

"…" Yang smiled softly and turned at her "it is our chance to take the initiative for once, Kitten. It is either take it or leave it. The World will not stand still for our sake."

-o—

In an office on top of a high tower in Atlas, Sophia Carmel finished hearing the record of Ruby Rose's and Blake Belladonna's phone call.

Smiling, she lit a cigarette and sat back at her chair. _So, you will come to me on your own, will you? Well, that works even better. _She exhaled and sent a series of smoke rings across her desk.

_Team RWBY, Fenris… I will crush you all in your very own game like ants. I will make you regret picking a fight with me! _


	45. Salty Sweet Ball

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? **

**Chapter 45 is here! Its slightly more lighthearted than usual, but I hope you enjoy it all the same! **

**Thank you for following/favoring or simply reading it! See you all next week! **

* * *

**February 4****th****, 86 **

To call the state of the living room a mess would be a total understatement. Clothes spread all around the old couches; accessories hastily discarded and thrown away. Shoes scattered on the floor.

To put it blankly, when Yang entered the house holding their boxed dinner in hand, she had trouble deducing whether Blake and Weiss had been changing, or someone had broken in and left with their valuables.

She brushed the snow off her shoulders. "Blakey! Weiss! Are you-" "SHUT UP AND COME HELP ME!" the shrieking voice came from above. "We are fine; just a little indecisive" Blake added from the bathroom.

Yang tossed a piece of pie inside her mouth and took off her boots before climbing up the stairs to the bedroom. The door was half-open and she stepped in-

"Did you go all the way to Atlas City to bring the food? We are going to be late!" a half-naked white-haired girl tossed her a ribbon. The blonde didn't reply; she merely checked her watch.

"We have more than five hours until the ball, Snowflake." A cyan eye glared at her like she was a lunatic. "There are so many things to prepare for; this is barely enough!" she exclaimed.

"The only thing we should be preparing for is how to tell Goodwitch we bought nine dresses and seven sets of shoes while charging the SHU, because you two couldn't decide fast enough."

"I will tell her" she nonchalantly replied. "Miss Glynda is a woman of fashion; she will understand."

The very vivid image of a raging Glynda catapulting them to Forever Fall Forest for a week suddenly flashed through the woman's mind. "I hope you are right, baby; cause I just got the chills."

There was no response and Yang turned around, fishing her own dress- the one she had selected after ten minutes of searching- out of the closet.

"Blakey; can I use the bath?" "Sure! I just finished!" Yang grabbed a set of towels, kissed Weiss on the top of her head and ran down. She had an idea for her hair tonight and needed quite some time for it.

As soon as she left the room, Weiss let go of the breath she was holding. She turned back and stared at her enemy. It was the most hated thing in the entire city; the one that had wasted her whole evening by continuously pissing her off.

Her eye patch covered reflection stared at her from the mirror. "You just won't cooperate, will you?" she hissed. "What do I have to do to make you look presentable to the bloodthirsty socialites?"

She untied her hair, letting them loose for the umpteenth time the last few hours. They were slightly touching her shoulders, unkempt yet smooth, with her bangs covering her mismatched face.

It was like staring at something out of a horror film to her. A hag that had crawled out of a well and lost her eye at the- _wait. Calm down, think positive thoughts. Positive thinking is the key to a healthy mind._

She closed her eye and stared at the image once more. _I lost weight too… could put a little more meat on my bones. I am going to look like wearing a plastic bag in my dress._

Filing that decision for later use, Weiss took her brush. After quite some time, she concluded she had reached the intended result and put it away. She then looked again in the mirror.

The atrocious eye patch was still there. She threw her bangs all over her eyes and forehead. _That does the job, but I look like Ruby after running errands. Rejected._

She pulled them away and tightened them on the back of her head, forming two straight lines in a casual princess-like manner. _More like the princess of pirates with a pale blue eye patch. Rejected._

A ponytail maybe? _Too casual and exposes too much. Rejected._ Then the idea of curls came to mind. _I am not in the mood for something that fancy._ Rejected. Or maybe a bob? _I am not going to a concert! Rejected!_

She needed to calm down somehow. _Dead wind whispers in the trees… spirit of ancient spite it brings…_ the melody played in her mind, as she ran her fingers across her smooth tresses.

_These must not be falling down._ Weiss then covered her patch with her fingers. _And this atrocity must be covered. How will I-_

Her mind went to the outfits she had bought today and were now lying on the living room furniture due to her earlier fit of rage. She remembered one particular article among them.

If this fits, then it should be just fine. She checked the clock; only three hours left! Weiss ran down the stairs, almost jumping over them.

-o—

"Oh my; someone is going to make heads turn tonight!" Yang grinned at her image in the bathroom mirror.

Her blonde mane had not simply been tamed; it was tied in a thick braid decorated with three purple ribbons across it. She decided to let it fall over her right shoulder.

Her dress was a single-piece dark purple one, with a very revealing corset and long, also very revealing, tail. A black strapless blouse and a thigh-high pale purple wavy skirt covered the most important parts, while also serving as to draw more attention to them.

She finished her outfit by putting on a pair of dark purple stockings and black, ankle-high boots and a pair of lavender earrings. Then, Yang stepped out of the bathroom after winking at her own self.

And was let with her mouth gaping open wide. It seemed she had spent so much time braiding her hair that she had allowed Weiss to get ready as well.

That was the only thing her mind processed. Because after that Weiss' appearance kicked in her mind and everything else got lost in her pathetic attempt to not drool at her girlfriend.

The ex-heiress had selected to let her hair loose and straight down the left part of her forehead, covering the patch. On the other side, her bangs had been pulled into a side braid.

That was a cute choice but everything else… Pale blue business suit whose trousers hugged her legs way too nicely… low dark brown heels and lighter earrings… it was simple and elegant and Holy Dust.

"You look absolutely ravishing, Yang" the petite woman gave a sincere smile. "Why haven't you worn this before?" the immediate response came, making her flush and look away.

"I-it was a spur of the moment thing." Before Yang would comment on what she truly wanted to do on the spur of the moment, the bedroom door opened revealing Blake.

She was in a deep dark blue strapless nightdress that ran all the way to her knees. The tail was open in the front, allowing the thigh-length slightly lighter blue skirt to show.

The inside of the tail was filled with white, star-like spots. A pair of see-through sleeves and knee-high boots the same color as her short skirt covered and highlighted the girl's curves.

Her hair was neatly combed to form curls and was adorned by a pair of pale blue round earrings. A large, bluish-gray belt, a choker and dark blue eye shadow completed a truly elaborate look for the faunus girl.

"Ok, stop the press. What the heck?" the brawler asked. "I understand Weiss not going all out, but what are you exactly doing right now?"

A pair of yellow eyes narrowed at her, followed by the folding of her cat ears, to indicate how embarrassed she was. After she visibly calmed, the faunus replied.

"The more well-dressed we are, the more people we attract to talk to. This will make it easier to get information about who inside Carmel Coms is working with Alizar. That's all."

Weiss nodded and Yang decided to not torment her best friend any more. For now. "Do you have your weapons with you?" their replacement team leader asked them as she hid Crown in her purse.

"Nightfall is too big to carry with, but I took my gun" Blake replied. "My arms are all I need" Yang cracked her metal fingers. "True enough. Let's go then. We only have one hour until the ball starts."

Both of them rolled their eyes and followed Weiss out of the house in the freezing streets of Mantle.

-o—

"Boy that is way different that I expected" Yang commented as they stepped out of the taxi in the cleaned front yard of Carmel Mansion.

The building wasn't small of course. It was rather spacious, spreading horizontally rather than vertically, with lots of vivid and nicely decorated gardens.

Some sort of modern art statues filled the terrace and welcomed them to the white marbled entrance with the large glass panels. Yang giggled a little at how much it reminded her of a corporation HQ facility.

"Ok" Weiss said. "There are two guards in the front door. We have to not only convince them let us in, but also not search our belongings."

"Leave this to me, baby" Yang walked forward with determination, straightening her dress. The monochrome duo exchanged a worried stare.

_I am not optimistic about that_ the black-haired girl thought. "If he tries to touch her, we will spend the night in prison; I warn you" Weiss commented. _I am SO NOT optimistic about that!_

Unaware of her friends' remarks, Yang stopped in front of the door where two armed guards were standing, dressed in suits. "Hey guys! How's the night going so far?"

"Ahem. Can I see your invitation please?" the first guy said. "Well, I don't have one. I just wanted to come by and have some fun the Atlas way, if you get what I mean" she slightly bent and winked at them.

"Miss Xiao Long" he said as Blake and Weiss stepped right behind her. "Oh, you recognized me! That makes things even better!"

A curt nod was the reply. "I don't think there is a single person in Remnant who wouldn't. But rules are rules. I can't let you in."

"Oh, that's such a pity. And here I was, hoping you could at least talk to your boss about letting us in." "I understand that, but-" "Please? We even dressed up that nicely!"

"She is horrible at it" Blake whispered. "She is as bad as Ruby is- why did we let her try that?" Weiss agreed.

"Is there any problem?" an older-looking man with white hair, beard and deep blue eyes stepped out, wearing a matching suit. "Oh, what a surprise. Is this team RWBY?" he kindly smiled.

"Minus one" Yang said. "We are honored to have such you in our humble mansion. Please, come in. The ball has already started and Lady Sophia will be with us in a while."

"Are you sure Mr?" "Peros Bishop is my name. It is an honor to meet you" he curtly bowed. "I know you have no invitation, but for such distinguished guest as you, exceptions can always be made."

He nodded to the guards and then motioned them in. "You move ahead the main hall and right to the ball room. Our stuff will be there to help you if needed."

Pleasantries were exchanged and the unexpected guests stepped in. After the door closed, Peros raised his scroll. "Young Lady. Team RWBY minus Ruby Rose has just entered the party, as you requested."

"Perfect" Sophia replied. "Begin preparations at once; we start as soon as the ball ends."

"As you command, my Lady."

-o—

The interior was spacious and had a distinct decoration filled with smaller modern art statues like the ones in the garden. Weird paintings of unknown artists decorated the bright white walls.

"Her taste is quite… questionable" Weiss whispered. "I like it. It's different than the usual boring stuff one expects from an Atlas CEO" Yang grinned.

"Speaking of that" the pale girl turned around as they walked down the hall "how much do you know about Sophia Carmel, Blake?" The black-haired beauty looked around to make sure no one was near them.

"She comes from a humble family and is one of the most progressive CEO in Atlas both in terms of employees' treatment and faunus' rights acceptance. Other than that, nothing. How about you?"

"Father used to speak a lot about her as an example of a lucky brat. She inherited her father's electronics store at the age of 19 when her parents died and performed beyond impressively in making it grow. Five years ago, she turned it into a profitable company and skyrocketed in Atlas' social and financial standings."

"Your father's idea of luck is a cause of worry, as usual" Yang spat.

She stopped for a moment to fix her suit. "He used to say she is incredibly skilled in striking deals on her own terms. But that's all I remember; I wasn't that interested to be honest."

"That sounds fair" Yang commented. "And she sounds like someone I will get along fairly well. I can't wait to meet her."

They reached the heavy door in the end, with one finely dressed man bowing deeply before them. He opened and a lovely, soothing melody reached their ears.

All three of them stepped inside and took in the room. It was spacious; not as much as the Schnee Manor, but still quite large. Or maybe the huge glass panels covering the north wall gave them this sense.

There was no furniture except for an elongated bar where the staff prepared appetizers and drinks for the guests who were busy chatting around in small groups.

The white shining walls were decorated with a few more modern paintings and large glass chandeliers provided a serene light in the brown wooden floor.

That sensation of calm, however, was tossed out of the window when Weiss spotted a particular person among the crowd. Her expression immediately darkened and her eyebrows furred.

"My father is here" she hissed, drawing Yang's attention. The braided girl cracked her fingers "want me to go talk to him?" "Of course not" she raised her hand. "I just want both of you to avoid him, ok?"

"Ok" Blake smiled, showing them a group of women far away. A distinctive tall woman with light blonde hair in a violet dress stood among them. "Besides I think I found my target already."

Weiss looked at the direction and smiled softly. "Be sure to greet her for us too" she said, earning a nod before the faunus strode across the room, surprisingly avoiding drawing too much attention.

"All right, sweetie. I found my target as well." Yang pointed to a very good-looking man with slightly tanned skin, wearing a staff suit and talking to a couple ladies.

"I am going to get some soda and see what I can find. We will talk later." "Yep. I think I-"

"Is that Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee?" the loud voice of a tall man in a grey suit not only stopped her, but also made nearly every single head in the room turn around.

"Wow; I never knew we had such celebrities invited!" "Come on, join us! There is always room around for a pair of lovely ladies!" "We would love to hear of your stories!"

Blake watched her friends getting overwhelmed by the socialites with sympathy, glad she had managed to pass by them rather unscathed.

She took a couple more steps and was met with a bright smile and a pair of violet eyes. "You just fed your friends to the social hyenas; you should be ashamed of yourself, Blake."

The faunus quickly exchanged pleasantries with the few people around them and then turned to her. "I am simply doing the best with the opportunities they provide me, Councilor Hill."

"I think you have earned the right to call me on a first name basis, wouldn't you agree?" A man standing next to her, with deep brown hair and mustache, raised his eyebrow.

"I didn't know you were on close terms with _the_ Blake Belladonna, Ms. Hill. I am impressed." Robyn smiled "we worked together in the War for a few weeks. I consider her a quite close person to me."

He bowed and kissed her gloved hand. "You are quite a beauty, as the rumors say." Blake flushed red and withdrew her arm. "Do the rumors say I am engaged as well? Or did they leave that out?"

Robyn and her company gave off a hearty laugh. "Looks like you got rejected Belmond. Why don't you go sink your teeth on someone else and leave me catch up with my friend?"

Belmond stood up, took his glass and left. Blake stared at his back with a tinge or regret. "I hope I wasn't being too rude, was I?"

The tanned woman shrugged it off. "He deserves it; he is a very decent guy by Atlesian standards, but has a soft spot for beautiful girls. I think he is going towards Yang now."

Yellow eyes opened in concern. "I really hope he doesn't do anything stupid; Weiss might actually hurt him." "Well, at least he will have learned his lesson." She nodded and turned back to the councilwoman.

"I thought you hated these things." Robyn smiled bitterly "the council got a formal invitation; someone had to come. But I am glad I did; this place is quite nice. Speaking of which, care to join me for a drink?"

Realizing the unspoken command, everyone around them scattered and joined other groups, confusing the younger girl. After a butler brought them two glasses of champagne and left, Blake finally asked.

"Is something the matter?" Violet eyes narrowed at her before the woman replied. "You hate Atlas. And you hate parties. And from the looks of it, Weiss is ready to kill someone."

She sipped some champagne and made a disgusted expression. "You are not here to have fun." Blake awkwardly fixed her curls and straightened her shoulders. "Are we that transparent?" she replied.

"To someone who fought by your side, yes. And that is what concerns me. I like all of you, but last time we met, nearly half of Mantle got annihilated; we had hundreds of dead civilians."

Blake gulped. "We are merely trying to get some info; nothing that actively engages civilians in it. Trust me."

"I will; but I want you to trust me as well, Blake. And if you can't trust Councilor Hill, then trust Robyn." She gave her a reserved and determined smile.

"Please tell me, Blake. What is going on? I may even be able to help you if you want." she asked again.

Blake gulped. She closed her eyes and then took a couple quick glances around. "We are hunting someone. And that someone is tied to our hostess' company somehow. I can't say any more; I am sorry."

-o—

Sophia smiled as she heard Blake saying that. "Clever girl; you give her enough clues to show you trust her, but just as much as to not get her involved. Nice."

She stood up from her monitor and turned to Peros who was solemnly standing in front of her room's door. "Did you finish decoding Fenris' contact info?"

"It shall be done before the end of the ball, madam. The program you gave me runs on its own." "I know; I designed it." She picked a small flash drive and gave it to him.

"As soon as you are done, send him this message as a token of good will. Then, leave the party and start making all the proper arrangements. I should join you in a few hours along with our captives."

"What about Ms. Hill? We can't go after a member of the council, madam."

Sophia dismissed his concern with a wave of his hand. "After we subdue Fenris and get rid of RWBY, I will deal with her in a suitable manner."

"As you wish." "Great; now go." She turned her back and let her eyes fall upon an old family photo. "It is time for me to finally join the fray. Wish me luck, father."


	46. CSIAtlas

**Hello everyone. How are you doing? **

**Chapter 46 is up. As always, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Thanks once more for reading/ following/favoring this story. You are all the best! See you all next week!**

* * *

**February 6****th****, 86 **

"So, they still can't find anything in your body? That's great news!" Ruby's voice sounded in the snow-covered streets of Mantle.

"I think so, too" Jaune answered her through the scroll. "I hope you will be able to sleep better now; you deserve it. You haven't slept…properly lately…" she lowered her tone, hoping she wasn't as red as her cape.

"Yeah, about that…" thankfully for her, Jaune totally missed the point. "Goodwitch thinks I need a little more recuperation, so my assignment to Nora's division has been delayed. She wasn't pleased."

"Oh, I see… wait what has that to do with sleep?" she asked, confused. "I will be assisting Velvet with the case of opened graves in Vale Cemetery. So, not much sleep for me in the night" he joked.

"Oh" she made a cute sound. "Just please try to rest as much as possible, ok? Don't push yourself." "I will. But don't worry about that- you have something more important to deal with right now."

"YuP!" she merrily giggled. "Speaking of what, we just reached Ms. Flinch's house! So, going in! I will call you later!" "Say hello to them from me. Love you." Rubby giggled again and blushed "Love you too!"

She lowered her scroll and turned around to meet the blank stares of her travel companions. "My only question is" Albus said "how does your scroll never get out of battery?"

"I have absolutely no idea" she laughed the accusation off and stared to Alex for help. The albino girl just yawned deeply, revealing a pair of sharp bat fangs. "Can we go in, already? I am sleepy…"

Ruby, happy for the distraction, knocked the door and shouted "Yaaaang! I am heeeeere! And I have two surprise guests with mee!"

They waited for a while, but there was no answer. Ruby knocked again "Yaaaang! Weisss! Blaaake! Open up pleaseeee!" No answer.

"They know you are coming, don't they?" Albus asked. "Of course!" Ruby took out her scroll again and checked the last message her sister had sent her.

_February 5__th__, 22:32 _

_How are you doing, Rubes? Here things are kinda dull. We didn't find anything of importance in the ball and spent today resting from our hangover. Can't wait to destroy you in Remnant Fighter tomorrow!_

"Maybe they went out?" Alex yawned again, as Ruby called Yang's scroll. "And left Ruby hanging? Even you wouldn't do that, honey" Albus replied.

Ruby closed the call and dialed Blake. "Can't we simply pick the lock? I am sure I can do it in one minute" the faunus whined. "I thought you were too sleepy?" her boyfriend teased her.

Weiss was the last one. "I am sleepy! As you remember, I am a nocturnal faunus! I can't function properly in the day!" Albus sighed "you only remember that when it's convenient for you. Like-"

"Guys!" Ruby cut their bickering off. "Their scrolls aren't calling." She looked at them, visibly confused. "And I don't think they all ran out of battery…"

Alex didn't reply. She simply turned around and narrowed her pink eyes as she examined the lock. "Ruby, I will need your pin."

A few minutes later, the door gave in and Alex slammed it open, allowing Ruby to burst inside. She didn't even remove her boots as she strode in.

"If you are lazing around to the point of not checking your scrolls, my fury will make Glynda look like Zwei in comparison!" she tried to sound as menacing as she was worried.

And of course, there was no reply. The house was silent- and considerably cold. "Wow, it's freezing in here! What the heck are those three doing?" the other girl of the company complained.

"Now I am getting really worried!" Ruby replied. Meanwhile Albus walked to the heater and checked the dust supply. "Heater looks fine, so they simply didn't turn it on" he said.

The brunette fumed and immediately burst up and down, right and left, taking in a full view of the house. She appeared back in front of the couple even before the petals fell down.

"There are no signs of struggle; and I really can't imagine someone ambush them, even in their sleep" she said. Alex nodded "even if that happened, they would have at least fought back."

"It's too early in the morning for them to have gone somewhere- unless some really important info came up and didn't have time to send you because they knew you were on the plane" the boy commented.

Ruby's anxiety was slowly and steadily rising. What could have possibly made her team run off so early in the morning and in such haste? Their belongings were all here, plus a few elaborate dressings; only-

"Let's look for the EOL. If something came up, they would have uploaded it there." Both her friends nodded and they split in order to search the house.

Ruby searched Yang and Weiss' room. Her eyes ran around, trying to think about where the EOL could have been stored, but then fell upon something really weird.

Myrtenaster was here, instead of Crown. It wasn't that weird save for the fact her partner preferred to carry both of them when she could do so. No, the weird fact was that Ember Celica was placed right next to it.

_Why would Yang go anywhere without her weapon? Save for the ball, she would never have to! I mean, I would have tried to take it even in the ball with me! _

"Found it!" Albus' voice sounded from below, making Ruby nearly teleport in her haste. She rushed down the stairs and ran at her gaming buddy as he gave her a small, white scroll.

That was EOL, the Emergency Operation Log. A fifth scroll that team RWBY kept hidden in their temporary bases during operations, especially undercover missions.

It was used as a log, in which they uploaded all new mission info in regular periods of time. The intention was that even if something happened to them, someone would find it and pick up from the point they were stopped.

Ruby opened it and checked the current mission log. She looked at it- and her face immediately darkened. "That… makes no sense" she said.

"What happened?" Alex asked her, now having completely forgotten about her sleepiness. "The latest update is from Yang on February 5th, 1:56 in the morning; more than twenty hours before she last texted me!"

"Maybe they truly had nothing to write?" Albus asked. Ruby shook her head "we always update the log every three hours even when nothing happens, to keep it consistent! Look!"

She showed them the previous week's logs, where Blake and Yang mostly updated 'Nothing Happened' at least six times a day.

"What did the last uploads say?" Alex asked, waiting for Ruby to scroll down. "The second to last said that they found nothing important and Weiss was going to fish Sophia Carmel for info."

She moved on "the last one was ten minutes later and…" she stopped, now even more confused than before.

"_Weiss came out and told us Sophia told her some very important stuff. We will go meet her in the Mansion garage; I do mention now and want it as proof for teasing material- she acted kinda weird." _

"That… is totally different from what Yang sent you" Albus commented. "What is going on here?" Ruby stared at the EOL. "Where are they?"

Alex ran inside Blake's room and came out immediately, holding a long katana in her arms- Nightfall. "Ruby. Is there any reason, no matter how big the emergency, for Blake to leave her prized sword here?"

"Myrtenaster and Ember Celica are left as well" she replied and then added in a very bitter tone "the only things missing are their scrolls, their coats and the weapons they took with them to Carmel Mansion."

She bit her lips, as inspiration hit her "my team never came back here from the ball- something happened to them. And someone texted me yesterday, posing as my sister!"

In a rare display of rage, Ruby slammed her fist on the wall. The cracking sound filled the room, followed by the girl's worried sniffs.

"That's weird, however. If they somehow got their hands on Yang's scroll, wouldn't they upload fake stuff on the EOL as well?" Albus asked in confusion.

"No. We have the EOL registered as 'Auntie Em'. In addition, Blake insisted we delete every message from our scrolls after it is sent; the only way to get a hold of them is 'Auntie Em' itself."

"If this is true, then what do we do? I don't mean to sound cold, but we-" "We talk to the last of our allies who saw them" Ruby replied and showed them an EOL-uploaded image.

Dressed in a cocktail dress, Robin Hill gave a forced smile on the camera. Tired yet stunning-looking, the bumblebee pair was flanking her. Half- annoyed yet elegant Weiss was standing next to Yang.

"First we talk to the neighbors. Then, we go meet Ms. Hill" she flatly announced.

-o—

Unlike most of Atlas' council offices, the Happy Huntresses' building was rather moderate. The only official building to ever be stated in Mantle, it bore close resemblance to a guild than anything else.

"Wow, they renovated it very nicely!" Alex commented as they reached the plaza. "Well, they _had_ to" Albus shot an accusatory glare at Ruby.

"For the record" a blushing brunette replied "it was mostly Yang's fault!" The couple giggled at her embarrassment and entered the building.

Robin Hill's office was stationed on the top floor. The guard escorting them, after taking a very disgruntled Ruby's autograph, opened the doors and announced in a heavy voice.

"Councilor Hill, Ms. Ruby Rose is asking to meet with you." "Let her in, and let no one interrupt us. Tell Cinna the meeting will be postponed for half an hour." "As you wish madam."

Robin was smiling affectionately as the trio stepped inside. Painted brown and very humble in look, her office was decorated with many photos of huntresses, along with old weapons.

She stood up from the PC and nodded "Ruby, Alex, Albus, it's great to see you again." Above her armchair was a large portrait with a photo of the Happy Huntresses just after the end of the reclaim of Mantle.

"Robin" Ruby smiled back and then took a thoughtful expression. "Is it fine if I call you Robin?" Alex fought a giggle back and Albus sighed "Councilor Hill, it is great to see you."

"First Blake and now you" she reprimanded him "there is no need for such things between old comrades-in-arms, Albus." Her eyes stayed on them for a while "speaking of Blake, where are the others?"

Ruby's stance hardened "This is why we are here. We can't get in touch with Weiss, Blake and Yang." Robin's face changed as well, surprise evident on her features. "I was drinking with them, two nights ago!"

"Exactly" Alex commented. "And that was the last time we know someone saw them" Albus completed her. "We even talked to the neighbors; nobody has seen or heard of them since the ball."

Ruby stepped forward "we got a message yesterday from Yang, but I believe it was fake- someone was simply trying to not let us notice until we reached Atlas."

The woman stared at them and nodded "and you are here because you know I met them at the party." "Yes" the brunette replied. "Please, we need any help we can get."

Violet eyes closed and opened after a couple seconds. "When you first came to Atlas, you made a choice" she said as her gaze fell at the portrait.

"You chose to stay with us; you saw Mantle, worked with the people down here, fought and bled along them. And despite that, you never stopped trying to pester me work with Ironwood for the greater good."

"That goes without saying, but…" Robin motioned her to stop "what I mean is; there is no need for such formalities; of course I will help you."

She sighed "The only think though I can tell you for sure is when I left they were all fine- not even drunk."

"Another thing that goes against Yang's last text to Ruby" the bat faunus pointed. "She claimed they all had hangover." "No way. I don't know what happened after I left, but Weiss was drinking-"

"Apple soda all night long. Weiss loves this stuff more than water." Ruby face palmed "I should have thought it! There is no way she would ever get a hangover!"

"Even if you had noticed, you couldn't possibly do anything" the boy comforted her. "Still… I should have noticed…" she said. "Anything else of importance?" Alex tried to get the conversation back in track.

"Blake told me about your mission and how they were tailing someone in Carmel Company." Ruby's eyes lit up. "Maybe someone overheard you talking?" Albus asked. "And waited till you left to ambush them?"

"I am pretty positive no one could have heard us. But that's the extent of my knowledge on that aspect. I wasn't even aware they had been missing until now."

Ruby exhaled "I see… thanks a lot Robin. I guess the only thing left is to ask Ms. Carmel herself to check her security camera records." Albus scratched his chin in thought "will they let us do that?"

"Probably not" Robin told them. "But they will let me" she picked her scroll. "Cinna, apologize to the council for me" the woman winked at Ruby earning a bright smile from her "something important came up."

-o—

"What do you mean, we can't see the records? This is a direct order from a member of the Council!" Robin stood next to a very nervous and increasingly angry Ruby at the door of Carmel Mansion.

And face to face with a very serious and extremely annoying professional-looking butler. "I understand madam. But until Mr. Bishop arrives, I will not permit anything."

"Since when does Carmel Family defy the laws of Atlas and Mantle?" Robin fumed. "Since when do council members act without a search warrant?" the man raised his nose a little.

"If you insist on this uncivilized farce, I will have to ask you either let me escort you to the waiting room or let security escort you away from here, Ms. Hill."

Robin's eyes opened wide in anger and she tried to retort, but Ruby grabbed her arm. "Please show us the way" she addressed the butler.

"Very well" he opened the door wide and led them to a small room covered in glass panels. He provided them a pair of comfortable seats and left, closing the door behind him.

He barely managed to see the Council Woman getting up and moving silently up to his undefended back. Before he could react, she grabbed his shoulder and activated her semblance.

"I will ask only once. Do you know anything about the disappearance of the rest of team RWBY?" The man, overwhelmed by her ability, replied.

"I only know after they talked to Ms. Carmel, they bid farewell to everyone and left the ball. However, instead of letting me send them off, my Boss asked me to allow them entrance to the garage."

Both women exchanged a worried look. "Show us the way to the monitor room. NOW!" Ruby screamed.

-o—

"Gah, that sucks. Why do they have to be the diversion and we have to do all the work?" Alex groaned as she avoided another camera, running across the well- tended garden.

"That's probably because they are a respectable member of the Atlas Council accompanied by one of the greatest heroes of the modern era" Albus replied crouching behind her.

"Meanwhile we are two nobodies who refused to even appear on TV after the victory over Salem. I think this plan is quite reasonable" he continued.

"Hmm~" she hummed. "You find breaking and searching for data into someone's house reasonable? Sounds like I am rubbing to you quite a lot~"

He smirked. The humming of his girlfriend continued and he had no intention of interrupting her. "We suspect them of treachery, for all that's worth."

"Exactly. And that's something you would be not willing to do once upon a time~" They rolled under a few thriving bushes and behind a weird-looking statue, carefully brushing the snow off their uniforms.

"Two more cameras and a megaphone in front of the monitor room. Three guards at the entrance~" her hum kept on. "How do we get past them?" he wondered, fixing his special earphones in place to not fall off.

"I can always seduce them~" "Rejected" he shot her down. "The point is to not be noticed." "It's a good thing dogs aren't so common in Atlas. I must have scared all the birds in the area, however~"

"Irrelevant. The question remains- how do we do it?" "Wait. Someone is coming~" He raised his head a little. "It's an old guy with a leather armor he doesn't even bother hide under his suit" he ducked again.

"Hmmm~ Wait, he is looking towards us!" "Fuck" Albus let his breath escape. "He looks quite trained if the indications of his- shit they are coming towards us; him and three armed guards" her tune stopped.

"Any ideas?" the boy asked, removing his earpiece. "We surrender at first and see what they intend?" she replied, as the footsteps became louder, coming towards them.

A few seconds passed and the duo found three rifles aimed at them. The tall man brushed his long white beard. "Alexandra Specter and Albus Duskwood… may I ask what are you doing snooping around?"

"We were looking for a hairpin our friend Weiss Schnee lost in the ball two days ago" Albus said. Alex tried her best to not roll her eyes.

"I didn't get to live up to twice your age my boy by believing nonsense. Try again; because right now you are trespassing Carmel property."

"Look, we-" "Found it!" Ruby's voice echoed in the garden through the megaphones. "There is erased video data matching the time they left the ball from the parking area! Authorized by the CEO herself!"

Peros' eyes opened wide in shock. "We- are going to kick your asses!" Alex ducked and knee kicked the man left to her, throwing him to the ground.

"Shoot them!" the old huntsman jumped away and drew an antique-looking yellow axe. He landed and waited for his men to pepper their enemies with gunfire, but-

Albus had already dispatched them, his white and blue mechanical staff sizzling with energy as the flame-like tip channeled the implemented dust inside it.

"You are surrounded!" Ruby screamed through the megaphones. "Please drop-" Before she could finish her request, the old man rushed to Alex.

The girl rolled on the ground to avoid him- and slammed on something solid. Albus ran towards her and slammed on an invisible barrier. "What is this?" he asked incredulously.

Peros stood up, his axe at hand. "My semblance allows me to create impenetrable barriers. Unfortunately, it seems you will not be able to help this young lady over here."

Alex stared at him and drew a silver pistol. It was really large, with an extensive curved blade underneath the barrel. "You actually tried to isolate yourself with me? You are seriously underestimating me!"

"Young lady, with all respect to your skill, I was fighting fellow huntsmen as an Atlas specialist before you even wet your diapers. You should better drop your weapons."

"Alex!" Albus slammed the barrier again and again with his weapon. "You are going to pay if you do anything to her!" he screamed. "Shout as much as possible; as long as I am standing there is no-"

He immediately brought up his axe and blocked a volley from the girl. He dashed towards her, allowing a few shots to graze his aura.

"Alex! Be careful!" she ignored her boyfriend's scream and blocked the axe's slice with the gunblade. "Fool" he pushed with all his might and slammed her on the wall. "NO" a scream was heard from behind her.

The faunus punched with her free arm, but the elder man was considerably stronger, twisting her arm and throwing her weapon off. "GAH!" she groaned.

"I am deeply sorry" Peros whispered. "But I can't afford being caught here. For Lady Carmel's sake." "You are all so arrogant" she replied. "So full of yourselves- you never bare attention to fine details."

Suddenly, a powerful force grabbed him. Peros tried to resist, but felt as if his entire body was being seized. He turned his head around, trying to see how-

"Hi-yah!" Alex unfurled her punching dagger, going for his throat with her hidden blade. Peros dodged the blow, but the enemy trying to restrain him took advantage of that.

Dark tendrils of energy, coming out of _his own shadow_, engulfed the veteran huntsman. He gasped in awe, as he saw the thin line of darkness connecting his shadow and Albus'.

"Unfortunately for you" Alex grinned "your barrier seems to not be shadowproof" she giggled, before kicking away from him. "And now tell me, Mr. Bishop. How much do I have to kick you for the barrier to fall?"

There was no need for that much, however. After a few minutes of resistance, the elderly man dispelled it.

Alex and Albus high-fived each other. "Nice playing the anxious boyfriend" she winked at him. "Nice playing the helpless victim" he replied, as a red-black blur crashed on the ground next to their captive.

Ruby didn't even wait to address the couple; she grabbed Peros from the collar. "WHERE IS MY TEAM?" her scream nearly deafened her comrades. "ARE YOU THE ONE WORKING WITH ALIZAR?"

"I am not… telling you. I am prepared to even get tortured…" he coughed. "But I will not tell you a thing. I am sorry, Ruby Rose" he replied.

Robin walked right behind them, her eyes clouded in anger. She glared at the man and removed her glove as she touched his shoulder. "Oh, I think you will" she exclaimed.

* * *

**One important thing I forgot; special thanks to my proofreader and dear fried FenMa who is also the designer for all of team RWBY's costumes and hairstyles, since I suck at fashion. I can't even express how grateful I am to her! **


	47. The Beautiful Trap

**Greetings everyone! I hope you are doing great or, considering the circumstances, the best you can. **

**Chapter 47 is here- I hope you enjoy it as usual! Thanks as always for reading/following/favoring! **

**I will see you all next week with ch. 48! Until then, take care and be as well as possible! See you! **

* * *

_**Two nights ago**_

"…and that was when I realized it was no ancient evil; just a pair of boys playing a prank on the villagers. So, we trapped them and got them to the mayor."

Weiss ended her story in a rather anticlimactic manner, but she really didn't care at this point. Of course everyone around her was visibly impressed and was clapping at her; that aggravated her even more.

She was here for a reason, damn it! And that wasn't storytelling for the sake of pompous businesspeople that couldn't identify an Ursa if it stared them in the eyes!

She felt her eye throbbing underneath her bangs. _Ok, calm down, Schnee. Don't let them break you that easily._

A woman turned at her, holding a glass of champagne. "Miss Schnee, could you please tell us about that expedition in that backwater Vale village? I have heard some interesting rumors!"

She held back the urge to throw that glass on her painted face and instead gave her best practiced smile. "Of course I will. But I would ask your permission to give me a short break. I am a little thirsty."

After exchanging a series of forced 'thank you' and 'you are mostly welcome' she proudly strode across the floor up to the bar. Her head was pulsing from pain; in Yang's terms, she had to chill a little.

"Can I get you something ma'am?" a young man behind the bar asked her. She was pleased to see he wasn't another faunus used as a servant. "Sparkling water, please. Apple flavoured if you have."

"I see you have developed at least one good habit living down there in Vale" the haughty, arrogant voice that sounded as if it commanded the world itself tripled the pain in her eye.

"The way we last parted, I had thought maybe you would follow your mother's example. I am pleased to see she is the only one with a taste for alcohol" her father, proud prim and proper stood next to her.

Weiss licked her lips without facing him. "On that part, it is the only time I kind of understand her; she has to spend the rest of her life with you."

"Low-tier jabs are so not like you, Weiss." She fumed, but still kept her outer calm. "You have absolutely no idea what I am and what is 'like me' Jacques. So please, drop the remarks."

The barman served them a pair of matching drinks. "That might be the only good thing aside from superior education I have received from you" she nodded at his apple-flavoured water.

"And here was I thinking you wouldn't even consider that. I know you still hold a grudge-" "Why would I do that?" she faked a laugh, trying her best to not raise her voice and draw attention.

"You worked with a man who tore Atlas' defenses apart and killed Winter, along with countless civilians." She took a big chug from the drink to cool her boiling nerves.

"You got arrested for treason and escaped the gallows only because Ironwood was assassinated. You bought your way out of prison and have the nerve to even mention mom's alcoholism?"

The man smirked. "Nothing of these was ever proven. The only witnesses at the time of my trial were either dead or in the other side of Remnant. I am a free man, with my name as clean as it can be."

"You are disgusting. Why hasn't Hill punched you yet?" "Your little bitch of a girlfriend did- and she nearly got arrested for that. Hill tried too; but she eventually conceded that attempt."

Weiss gritted her teeth. She hated this man whose filthy, treacherous blood ran on her veins. If she could tear away every single aspect of him from her body, she would carve her flesh on spot.

"Why do you want, Jacques? Do you want to rub on my face that instead of a life time in prison you still have control of grandpa's company?" she ordered another drink.

"I wanted to meet you" he flatly said. "I heard something interesting from Whitley- that you lost an eye. So, I wanted to see if my daughter, who still affects my public image, is at least still presentable."

"You" she gulped, shoving back all the unbecoming responses that rose to her mouth "have" her eye flared in pain "no right" she turned around, her patch visible to him under her waving bangs "to judge me!"

She held back the scream in the last minute. "I do not judge you, Weiss. I merely wanted to see if you are at least able to represent our name. You are doing ok, I guess."

Weiss thanked all Gods for what he said. Her nerves were already being fried. "But there is one thing you should be aware of" he added.

She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled pointing towards the rest of the room. "It is visible to anyone with half a brain that you hate every second being here." She gulped; of course _he_ would notice "so what?"

"You should at least learn to pretend, Weiss. Next time-" "there will be no next time" she cut him off. "I will soon return back to action."

"That's not going to happen. I may not have been the best father, but I know a broken person when I see them. And right now, you look like a rookie businessman who stepped inside the SDC negotiation room."

For the second time in a few days, a relative had managed to leave her speechless. "That's- you are wrong!" she was shaking. Who was she trying to convince, really? Her father? Or…

"You are one step away from retirement. This" he opened his arm showing the rest of the room "will be your life from now on; talking about your past in events."

He glared at her, silently enjoying her helpless expression. "I hope you will at least learn to present yourself so that you will not shame the family name even more."

She couldn't reply. She had to. That man was her father. His opinion shouldn't matter. He should be wrong. He should not be this way. Not confirming the thing she was afraid of the most. She-

"Now, now Mr. Schnee." A melodious voice helped Weiss compose herself. "I didn't invite you in the ball so that you would insult my other guests. That's mostly troublesome."

Father and daughter turned around and came face to face with Sophia Carmel. She smiled at them and walked to the middle of the room.

Sophia's attire was breathtaking. She wore a coffee-colored luxurious sleeveless vest that cut just upon her curvy chest. Its tail was similar to Yang's, but stopped even higher in her legs.

Said legs were covered by a pair of pastel red leather tights that highlighted every movement she made and were accompanied by a pair of dark color low-heeled shoes.

Above the vest, a see-through dark crimson open shirt covered her slender arms. A gold circlet with a small ruby on it rested on her tender-looking neck.

Her caramel hair shaped a ponytail in her back and triple curled bangs that framed her enchanting almond-shaped eyes in the front. She stood there, simply knowing she owned all the stares in the room.

"My apologies for the delay" she addressed everyone. "Running a ball isn't as easy as it seems. But exquisite guests like all of you are more than a worthy reward for Carmel Communications."

Weiss gulped. The woman radiated charisma. Her presence was so immense; everyone had stopped talking without even asking them.

"I will not take a lot of your time. Talks are for business meetings. I wanted to thank you for being here on our 5th anniversary! Please honor us by having a good time! Thank you so much!"

-o—

"So, that is Sophia Carmel. She is quite something, Wenge." Yang commented to the slightly tanned man next to her as he gave her another Margarita and stole another glance at her legs.

"She is" the suited man said. "I have worked for many people, her parents included, but she is on a whole different level" he replied fondly.

"She is quite the beauty too. I guess everyone in the company is dying to work for her, aren't they?" the blonde winked, earning a good-natured laugh by him.

"Miss Sophia motivates her people simply by knowing what to tell them and how to ask them things. Even if she were an ugly hag, the company would still run the same. She is incredibly skilled as a leader."

"I see" Yang crossed her arms underneath her chest raising it just a little. Wenge noticed it and so did she. "So you would say everyone in Comms is a very happy person who loves their boss?"

He averted his gaze and replied "I can't be sure for everyone; however, I have never heard anything bad about her. She motivates, she never shouts and works more than anyone else- the perfect CEO."

_If that is not suspicious, then my natural hair color is pink_ she thought. "So, Wenge. Besides communications what else do you guys do there?"

"Electronics and monitoring devices are a part of our company too. Not on a grand scale, we mostly design support tech for our own stuff. 'Self-sufficiency is both the key and the gate' is our motto."

"I see... so not many give and takes with other companies. That's great!" Yang had started getting bored. Wenge was truly nice company, but the conversation was dull. And she had to keep it going.

"I wouldn't guess you to be so interested in our company, Ms Xiao Long." He smiled and winked at her. "To be honest, looking at you I would guess lots of things but not an eye for business."

"These lots of things are wrong" she replied. "Appearances are built to deceive and flatter. I am not even half the things your lewd imagination has created, Mr Knight."

"Oh, don't misunderstand. You are a gorgeous woman but I would never go after a girl that has a serious relationship anyway. It's bad for my health."

_Shit. The conversation has derailed! Did he do it on purpose? _She silently chastised herself. There was no easy way to continue without making the man suspicious and despite his flirty attitude he seemed very professional when job was mentioned.

So, Yang thanked Wenge for the drinks and decided to take a shot around the place. She locked eyes with Blake moving away from Hill and Weiss fleeing from her father.

-o—

A couple hours and a ton of boring conversations later, all three of them were standing in the bar, enjoying their respective drinks.

"I never had truly realized how popular we are until today" Blake sounded exhausted. "We barely make two steps before someone runs to talk to us- it makes all the elaborate dressing I did seem needless."

"To make things worse, CC employees are happy-go-lucky guys who care more about ogling my legs than talking. And when they do, none seems to know anything about Merlot Industries" Yang groaned.

"I feel like my head is going to burst. This place gives me the creeps, even after my father left" Weiss complained downing her sixth apple soda. "I don't know if it's frustration, anger, or both at this point."

Yang stretched her arm and gently rubbed the girl's shoulder, happy to feel her let out a tiny cute satisfied moan. "So, now what?" the brawler asked.

Blake sipped her margarita and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we take our leave and find a way to search the company in other ways?" she asked back, despite not sounding too confident about it.

Weiss heard her, but didn't reply. Her eye had fallen at Sophia Carmel, bidding good night to Robin Hill. She was particularly drawn to her eyes; a pair of almond-colored orbs shining in an alluring manner.

Sophia thanked the councilwoman and then walked to the balcony. At some point Weiss would have sworn she spotted the woman smiling at her.

"I have an idea" she finally told the others. "Why don't we ask the person who is runs the company directly instead of beating around the bush?"

The two girls looked towards the way she was staring. "Isn't that too risky, though?" Blake asked. "I mean, she practically is the CEO-"

"Which means she is the one who will have access to any info regarding to the company" Yang cut her off and straightened her blouse. "I am going."

"Wait" Weiss grabbed Yang's arm. "You and Blake attract too much attention dressed like this. I will go."

Yang wanted to counter by saying that Weiss was gorgeous enough to draw attention from other people too, but her girlfriend's expression stopped her. "Please" Weiss said. "Let me do this. I can do it."

Yang nodded in approval. "We will take turns drawing people away from there so you can talk undisturbed" Blake added. "Thanks" the ex-heiress flashed a quick smile and left, taking her soda with her.

She walked to the balcony and bit her lip to endure the biting cold. Sophia was standing on the edge, facing her, full lips parted in a perfectly framed smile.

Weiss shivered and not because of the cold. Everything about the woman- body curves, posture, dressing code, even her smile- was perfect. And that made her even more suspicious.

"You can join me; I don't bite." Her voice was softer than before, but still had that commanding undertone many people would find irresistible. She carefully walked forward and greeted her.

"I am sorry about disrupting your peace and quiet, Ms. Carmel." Her smile became deeper "nonsense. Good company is always welcome, Weiss. And, you can call me Sophia. Ms. Carmel is too formal."

"Ok, Sophia. Sorry for bothering you while taking your dose of air." The woman chuckled and picked a cigarette case from her pocket. "Taking my dose of poison, you mean" she lit one. "I believe you don't smoke."

"No, I don't like smoking; for me and for others" she immediately regretted it, as it came out more hostile than she expected. "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you."

"Heh… you are surprisingly straightforward, aren't you. You wouldn't survive a week in a corporation." Weiss nodded solemnly "I take that as a compliment, if you don't mind."

"With a father like yours, I can understand why you would hate the world of business, to be honest. I am the same; albeit for a totally different reason."

That was a quite confusing statement, but Weiss decided she had better not pry too much. _Now the question is; am I going to be honest with her? Or should I find an excuse to ask about the issue?_

"What's the matter?" Sophia looked at her, still smiling. Her eyes were once more shining, in ways that simple brown should never possibly do. Gosh, was she breathtaking!

"You can be honest with me, Weiss" she said. "I want to… I am tired of doing things half-assed, just because I let my childishness get the better of me" she let her voice slip out of her mouth.

"Are you referring to this?" she tenderly caressed the eye patch. The sensation was amazing. Second only to Yang's arms. _Yang? _

Her entire body shook and she jumped away. "I am sorry! I don't know what got in me! Oh gosh! I am really sorry!" Sophia didn't budge; only raised an eyebrow.

"It's fine; I understand. You have an important person in your life. It's quite admirable, actually" she stood up and locked those gorgeous, shining almond-shaped pools at her.

"Thank you" Weiss whispered. "I love her with all my heart, but somehow I always find ways to make it tough for her. I… am that kind of person."

"It doesn't matter" her voice was even softer; like a gentle silk touching her ears. "Now, why don't you tell me what you truly wanted to ask me?"

Weiss nodded and smiled at her. The smile was deep, but had a cold, forced tone in it. She didn't know why, but she had to smile at this wonderful woman in front of her.

"Someone from your company ordered Grimm-suppressing chains from Merlot Industries five years ago. We wanted to find out who it was."

"Good girl" Sophia's smirk became deeper. "That was me, of course." Weiss snapped out of her trance, and stared at the woman in shock. "What?"

The CEO looked at her in a condescending manner. "Is there any possibility that someone would have used CC's resources for something like that without my approval, silly girl?"

Weiss' hand reflexively went to form a circle. The glyph roared, creating a- "Stop." All it took was a simple glare from her eyes and Weiss stopped her summoning.

"Get inside. Tell your teammates to say everyone goodnight and meet you in the garage. Act as naturally as possible. Then go to my limo and fall asleep. Understood?" the voice was cold and merciless, but as commanding as ever.

"Understood madam." The huntress mechanically replied, then stepped in the ballroom.

-o—

"Did Weiss seem off to you, or was it just me?" Yang asked Blake as they both stepped out in the garden.

"No, she was off. Like, she seemed to be way too normal? If this is the right way to put it." "My thoughts exactly, Kitten. I hope my hunch is totally wrong."

They walked carefully around the corner of the garden and stepped into the garage. Weiss was nowhere to be seen. Instead…

Six armed guards were waiting for them, Peros Bishop standing in front of them. "Goodness gracious, how nice of you to come by." The man was wearing his suit and save for his handgun, kept nothing on him.

"Where is Weiss?" Yang's eyes flared red. "She's asleep" another voice, more melodious and soft, like the wind, replied as Sophia Carmel stepped behind them.

Yang's fist clutched and Blake drew her weapon, aiming at the woman. "You have three seconds to tell me where she is" the blonde roared. That was her only mistake.

"She is asleep" a pair of shining eyes stared at the duo, taking their breath away as their mind got absorbed into her alluring gaze.

"And so will you" she finished her command, as Yang and Blake fell down, sleeping soundly on the floor. The men ran on them.

"Take their weapons and search them for any sort of equipment. Then, tie them up and put them in the armored car" she commanded

"I have to return back to the ball, but your men should get going. And remember; no scrolls. That applies to everyone. You will handle everything in my absence."

"Yes, madam" Peros replied before springing into action. Sophia grinned as she walked back to the house. The headache was immense; she had overexerted herself after all.

But everything was going just perfect; exactly as she wanted it to and in a few days all her problems would have been resolved. Her plan was flawless, as usual.

She was so self-absorbed into her triumph that she failed to notice one of the men glaring at her in hatred as they stepped inside the armored car.


	48. To the North!

**Greetings everyone! I won't blabber this time as usual, I only hope you are all doing well, both physically and emotionally. **

**I wish you all the best and hope you have as a good week as possible until next Wednesday! Hope you like ch. 48! Love you all! **

* * *

The locked room was dry and smelled stale. The walls were thick and solid, giving a sense of isolation. There was no a lot of light; only a small yellow lamp provided illumination around it.

The hooded man of course needed no more; his eyes could perfectly see in total darkness. However, he knew that giving his victim a small glimpse of what was going to happen always proved more effective.

As he arranged his surgical items on the table in front of him, he heard a small shifting sound and a groan of pain behind him. "I see you are back to your senses. Good."

"Where am I?" the voice was heavy and had an air of pride behind it. "We are in one of the facility's store rooms. I remodeled it." "Why am I here?"

The hooded man didn't turn around. Instead, he reached for his scroll and pushed a button.

"_In a few days I will be in Mantle; I will tell you everything there"_ the second man realized the recorded voice; it was his.

"_Good. Can I trust you with the information?"_ a childlike yet serious girly voice replied. _"I will give you our coordinates; don't worry. I will explain the rest when we meet. Make sure Blake is there as well."_

The recording ended and the hooded man turned around to see his captive. Carlo Custard, tied in heavy chains, was half-naked and bound on a large wooden bed.

"Does this refresh your memory maybe, dear Carlo?" "How did you-" "This is courtesy of Sophia Carmel. A very bold and intelligent one, she is. But this is going to be the least of your concerns, my friend."

Carlo looked at the man, his former leader, Gray Fenris. He was still dressed only on the robes, with the Ursa head medallion hung around his neck.

"I understand you are angry" he finally said, trying to control the fear climbing on his throat. "Angry?" he asked, not raising his voice.

"I am not angry, dear Carlo. I would be angry if I felt any sort of camaraderie. But I never felt this way towards you my dear friend" he explained while picking up a pair of scalpels.

"But your actions have greatly distressed me. You brought _Ilia Amitola_ and _Blake Belladonna, _of all people, to my front door. Betrayal has to be punished, my friend."

"Rich words, Gray. When you are the one who betrayed us all" he hissed back. "When Adam killed Sienna, you followed him. When he died, you went full terrorist. And now, you have become a lunatic!"

The bound man's breath was coming out rasped. He knew he would never leave this table alive now, but he wouldn't go down without speaking his mind first. "Why did you betray our cause?"

"Heh… I was expecting something like that, but it's still quite annoying how little you all know of me, Carlo." Fenris turned his back and let a pair of forceps down on the table.

"Do you know of the Faunus Volunteer Hospital tragedy back in Mantle? It was 20 years ago" the man replied as he started sterilizing his items. "No, I don't."

"It was a huge fire that killed every single faunus and human working or being hospitalized there. A real tragedy" he answered. "What of it?"

"What if I told you" Gray continued working on the table "there was one survivor. An unregistered, young doctor who worked there to save as many patients as possible. He went by the name Gray Fenris."

Carlo's eyes shot open wide. "He was an orphan and devoted to his work and patients; literally every person he cared for was inside this building. And got burned alive."

"I am really sorry Gray, but what does this have to do with our situation?"

"Heh… after I dragged my half-burnt corpse out of the place, I got some private care. Then, I started searching around, trying to find out why everything I held dear was so brutally taken away from me."

Carlo looked at the man's back. An old hospital. A simple job. He had heard the ones who had taken it were proud at how easy it was to destroy this place were faunus and human hypocrites coexisted.

"It was us, the White Fang, who started the fire" he whispered. "And Jacques Schnee finished your job; he delayed the firefighters to give priority to a dust-carrying convoy. Let us die like moths in a forest fire."

"Is this all about revenge? Then why did you-" "Nothing like it" the man cut him off. "I have gone past such stupid feelings and emotions, Carlo."

He turned around, a sinister smile visible under the hood. "You see, when I discovered the truth, it hit me. Why would the White Fang or SDC, care about anything than themselves?"

Carlo gulped and Fenris continued. "To the Fang, this fire was the means to an end. To Schnee, stopping the firefighters to get richer ten minutes faster was the means to an end."

His back turned again. "Everything was the means to an end for me as well. The White Fang… a group of idealists fighting for a great cause. Nothing more than a convenient tool."

"You… bastard…" Carlo glared at him. "The same applies to this band of terrorists we have formed. The difference is, dear Carlo; most of my followers know and accept it, for it serves their own purposes as well."

He stood up, hands covered in surgical gloves, a scalpel in hand. "The only ones who fail to accept that are foolish, exploitable idealists like you. Thankfully, in a few hours we will have one less among us."

_Hours? HOURS?_ Carlo's eyes opened wide in shock as Gray cackled and started carving his skin out. Despite the flaring pain, he was determined; he would never let this monster hear him scream.

His determination lasted five minutes. His suffering much more.

-o—

Weiss opened her eye. Her head was spinning and her entire body was stiff. "Mmf…" She closed it and blinked a few times, letting a low moan escape her mouth.

She looked around. She was in some kind of car. Not a particularly luxurious one, but comfy nonetheless. Next to her was-

Her mind went from drowsiness to hyper drive in a mere second and she gasped white sitting up in her seat. Next to her, typing in a laptop computer sat Sophia Carmel.

She was wearing a field suit, with a long white combat pair of trousers and matching jacket with heavy winter boots. Next to her a heavy winter coat was left. A dust-powered pistol was strapped to her hip.

"Good morning, Ms. Schnee" she said, without looking from the computer. "Apologies for the inconvenience, but we are in kind of a hurry."

Weiss tried to grab her sword, but failed for a considerable amount of reasons. First of all, Crown was nowhere on her. Secondly, she was handcuffed. Third, Wenge was pointing a gun at her from the front seat.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you, Miss." "Where am I? And just what the heck do you think you are doing?" There was no response.

She tried to secretly conjure a small knight. If she was fast enough, she could throw him at the handsome man who had her at gunpoint. Then, dealing with the CEO would be a piece of cake.

Or not. For some reason, her summon didn't even manifest. She bit her lip and sat back, allowing the man to retract his weapon.

Meanwhile, she was screaming in the inside. She had been captured. _Again._ And had lost all her dust and equipment. _AGAIN!_

"Getting captured is becoming a trend lately" she groaned as she sat back. "This is entirely your fault" Sophia told her after she raised her eyes from the laptop.

Seeing the questioning glare Weiss shot her, the almond-eyed woman explained. "You have quite some nerve, waltzing into my house to investigate my actions. You brought this upon yourself, little Schnee."

"You…" how did she know? Had she listened to them? Even so, this way of action was out of the ordinary. Unless… "You are the one who works with Alizar and Cherry; aren't you?"

"I believe I told you that yesterday" the woman replied. "I… did you? My memory is hazy. I remember us talking… but not this. How did you capture me? Did you have the waiter slip something in my drink?"

"I didn't have to" she replied, smirking. "My semblance did the job." Sophia opened a cigar and offered her one, but Weiss shot her a stare of pure hatred. _Why can't I still summon? What's going on?_

"I have the ability to issue absolute commands. All it takes is for me to ask you something, and you will do it as a little obedient soldier. Side effects include a minor memory disorder."

That wasn't entirely accurate. Her ability had its limitations, but there was no reason for the Schnee to know that; let her tremble in fear of being controlled at any moment.

"WHAT?" her shriek echoed inside the car, scaring Sophia, Wenge and their driver. "I have never heard of something that powerful!" _Damn summon! Why now, of all times? WORK!_

"Of course" she moved her PC screen, showing her the morning news. A lively photo of Yang smiling on camera with Robin Hill from yesterday's ball was in the middle of the cover of some magazine.

"Unlike you, I do not flaunt my skills, until I am completely certain I have the upper hand." Weiss didn't reply. Her mind had been preoccupied with something else instead.

"Did you capture Blake and Yang too?" a small circle of power gathered behind her and Weiss protected in with her back. "Yes. They are on their way to a meeting point we have arranged with Blood Moon."

The circle started to surge, all she needed was half a minute at worst… "I am going to execute them along with some of Fenris' men. They will be dead before they even wake up, to avoid any sort of issue."

Her summon failed. Weiss' heart cracked. She stared at the beautiful woman sitting in front of her, who had just announced she would execute her family without batting an eye.

"What did you say?" Sophia stared at her as if she was talking to a child. "I will kill my enemies, and blame Fenris for that. You are going to be kept alive as insurance in case something goes awry. Simple, no?"

She puffed some smoke. "Before you say anything stupid, I know Ruby Rose is coming. I have arranged a warm welcome for her as well, when I am done with all of you."

She wanted to lash out at her. Heck, she would have lashed out at her, possibly manage to slice her pretty neck with her nails or mar her 'perfect' skin before they take her down.

But it was that exact moment, Weiss' heart broke. Blake… her friend, was going to die. Yang, her girlfriend, too. She would die. Executed in cold blood by this vixen's men. Ruby… her partner… her best friend…

She would never see them again. She wasn't going to hear Blake complain about Sun's laziness. Yang wouldn't bring her food on the bed, smiling like the sun… Ruby… she wouldn't see her marry Jaune. She had hoped to be her best woman.

She lost her will to fight. Her arms fell on her belly and Weiss was left standing there. She would lose them- and the last days she had spent with them were in this harrowing, pitiful state.

Weiss fell on her back and closed her eye, hoping her tears wouldn't be seen by anyone inside the car. Once more, her mind went to the lullaby.

_Heart of darkness, flesh of cold…_

_Wicked, voracious, hundred years old…_

_Nothing matters when it stares…_

She whimpered, trying to contain herself from breaking in front of her captives. Her pride was literally all she had left.

_All shall die and nobody cares…_

-o—

**February 7th, 86 **

**Aegis Forest**

For the small team that Gray sent to the meeting point, it was a typical mission. Kill everyone on sight and get the barrels intact, or never get back.

Their leader, a small-sized faunus with brilliant red spiky hair and piercings all over his nose and ears, the issue was so simple it was boring.

He wanted action. He craved it so much one could see it on his body, as his red-white striped skin was glowing in anticipation. The fact his prey was running late didn't help Simon Cinnabar's nonexistent patience.

One of his men, a wolf faunus with large tail, tossed him a snowball. "Stop fuming, Simon. It's not the end of the world!" "Buzz off my ass, Terry. I wasn't included in the last two attacks- I am bored to death!"

"Maybe if you didn't make a mess every time you were let loose, Boss would trust you more with such things" another wolf faunus, Shayne, told him.

"Fuck you both. Why is it ok when Gray does it, but not when I do?" the man groaned. "Because he knows when to stop, idiot!" another voice shouted from behind them.

Simon growled and licked his lips. "I don't like this place. At all. Carlo might have been a filthy traitor, but he knew this place and he hated it too. And that makes me even more anxious."

The sound of a man running made him turn. He saw the signal and made note to everyone come out and get their guns ready. He walked forward, trying to look as natural as possible.

And then, he saw it. In the middle of the tree-hugged path, slowly moving in the snow, the relatively small convoy was reaching up to them.

"Only two vehicles?" Shayne wondered as they came closer. "And what's the purpose of the armored car if they have the barrels in the truck?"

"Plus I only see two drivers in the front and another one in the back, Terry added. "That looks like a trap, Simon."

"Do tell. These assholes are underestimating us. Are you sure the barrels are in the truck?" "Yes" Shayne replied. "Ok then there is no need for us to spare anything in the armored car. Leave it to me."

He licked his lips in satisfaction as they all moved forward and stopped the convoy. The drivers were wearing snow masks and heavy winter coats. Other than that…

"You aren't armed?" he asked the first one. He was middle-sized and very slender. A teen, most likely? "You are seriously underestimating us!"

He nodded and all the faunus raised their weapons. "Wait!" he said in a childish voice. "We brought you the stuff; as per instructed!"

"Say one more word and I will blow your brains out myself" the redhead answered. "All three of you, get down and fall on your knees! Terry, Shayne; with me!"

The drivers complied and Simon walked to the back of the car. He smiled and put his finger on the exhaust fume. "What-" a driver tried to say, but got hit on the back of the head with a pistol whip.

A few minutes passed, with Simon smiling as his poisonous deadly semblance filled the room. Everyone inside there would be dead within seconds, but he just wanted to be sure.

He nodded to his two henchmen and opened the back of the wagon- to find it completely empty. "So, it wasn't a trap?" Terry said. "Are they truly that stupid?" Simon asked.

"Like you are to talk- you didn't even check us for weapons" one of the drivers said. "What?" Simon turned around exactly the moment one of his men hit the man again.

Only this time, the driver avoided it and grabbed the man's arm. Before everyone could register what had happened, the faunus found himself airborne.

The three lieutenants watched in shock as the other two drivers span on their knees and kicked their guards down. Terry and Shayne ran towards them, opening fire.

And then, chaos ensued. The first driver rolled forward and produced a whip out of his uniform. With a swift movement, he attacked Shayne, electrifying him where he stood.

The faunus tried to counterattack, but the boy kicked his weapon off his arm with immense speed. He then electrified him again, throwing Shayne down unconscious.

Terry tried to open fire, but the second one blinked right next to him. Before the man tried to even move, the figure grabbed his arm and used a knife to slice his back.

Terry tried to disengage, but the figure teleported again in front of him and kicked his ankle. He tried to shoot, but a quick twist of his body slammed him unconscious down to the ground as well.

"Shoot those two! Pin them down!" Simon shouted to his men, still hiding in the trees. Gunfire erupted around the opening, forcing the two drivers to take cover.

Meanwhile, the red-skinned man ran towards the truck. Part of himself felt bad for Terry and Shayne, but orders were clear; taking the barrels to Gray was top priority.

The last driver jumped and crash landed between himself and the truck. He stared at him- _her!_ She was clearly a tall woman, with a very curvy body visible even under the heavy clothing.

"I think I can take this off now!" she said in a loud, womanly voice. She removed her mask and took her hoodie down, revealing a large mane of golden blonde hair. And a pair of very angry red eyes.

He recognized her instantly. "Yang Xiao Long." Yang cracked her neck and her metal arm. "Today is not your lucky day, buddy. I don't even have the self-restraint to ask you for information."

Simon tensed with anticipation. He would finally get his fight and it was going to be against someone really powerful. If he could take down the women who killed Adam Taurus, his reputation would skyrocket.

Meanwhile, quite some kilometers away, a large shadow had just finished feasting on the hapless meal that had carelessly walked on its path.

It raised a bloody, stag-shaped maw and stared as the wind carried towards it the smell of still living prey. It stood up and followed the wind, leaving a mass of mangled flesh behind its bloody trail.

-o—

Gray shut the door behind him, without locking it. Carlo wouldn't be opening doors anymore and as for his other guest… well it's not that a lock would stop in anyway. "Boss" a voice called him at once.

A tall, massive man, with long straight dark hair and a goatee was standing in front of him. He had a pair of warthog tusks protruding from his mouth and an X-shaped scar at his cheek.

Next to the man was a short, slender woman. She had long, curly taupe-colored hair and a pair of huge sunglasses protected her eyes. Her arms were fully covered in thin grey-brown feathers.

"Robert. Stella" he addressed his two lieutenants. "What do you want?" "With all due respect Gray; was that truly necessary?" Robert Ink was flat, emotionless and on point, as always.

"Many of our followers liked Carlo, despite what he did. Maybe butchering him down was not a good idea Sir?" Stella Taupe elaborated.

"Traitors are traitors, you fools" Gray spat. "It doesn't matter what you feel for someone; once they betray our group they are finished. The moon is always dyed red."

"Yes…. but maybe…" "Don't waste your time, Stella" their leader huffed "or mine for what's worth. Has Simon's team returned yet?"

"No. He is quite behind schedule" the huge faunus replied. "It seems that young Miss Carmel is more aggressive than I gave her credit for. And team RWBY is probably closing as we speak…"

"Shall I arrange a strike force for them?" The man seethed in frustration. "We could take down a small army with the firepower we have here."

"No need to. I will go. It is way too valuable of a cargo and the stakes got considerably higher to let anyone else at this point. You two take your teams and withdraw to the hideout."

"What about the facility?" Stella said. "Let Kendrick's group guard it. They will serve as excellent bait" he smirked. _And will serve as a good offering too…_


	49. Unexpected Complications

**Hello everyone! Chapter 49 is up. I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thanks once more for keeping up with my story and thank you for reading/following/favoring! You are the best! **

**I will see you all next week and I hope you are all doing as well as possible under the circumstances! Stay as strong and as positive as you can be! **

* * *

"Weiss-baby. I love-" the gunshot blew Yang's head, splattering her blood all over the petite woman. Just like Blake. Just like Ruby. It was a dream; she knew it.

For she wouldn't be there to see them. She wouldn't be there to smile and try to even ease their pain. For all she knew, her beloved Ray of Happiness and her dependable faunus friend were already dead.

And after them, she would die. The only consolation was that she would probably get executed before her partner. The idea she thought that as consolation was so bitter it literally woke her up.

Her eyelid opened and viewed the same car interior she had been seeing for the last many hours. There were two things different than usual though; it was empty and not moving.

"Ghhh…" she re-positioned herself, ignoring her stiff back, and wiped the dried tears off her cheeks. It was slightly cold, but she didn't mind. She doubted she could feel warm for the rest of the journey any way.

"Well, look who decided to finally wake up!" The voice was male and belonged to a man sitting next to the open door.

He was dressed in a heavy winter militaristic outfit and a snow mask covered his face. A simple rifle was aimed at her. "You sleep like a real princess, Missy. Thank Boss is merciful enough to let you."

She looked at the gun barrel; how easy would it be to conjure a knight and slice the man's arms to drop it. Even hand and leg-cuffed as she was, she could take mostly one bullet; it wouldn't even graze her aura.

She looked at the people behind him. Sophia was talking over a map with the handsome man- Wenge if she remembered well- along with six more mask-clad guys.

It would take her three seconds at best to overcome her guard and as soon as she got her hands on his weapon's dust, she was pretty sure she could annihilate all of them.

She could do that. She had any reason to. These people had killed her teammates! She should tear them apart and burn them to a crisp! Slice them, dice them and freeze their lungs to asphyxiation!

She should be feeling these things, yes. Then… _Why isn't my summon working?_ Her eyes widened as she felt the barrel closer to her. _Why am I not knocking this guy out cold?_

"Too scared to talk, huh" the man chuckled. "Guess even Weiss Schnee is afraid at the face of death." _NO! I am not afraid! I am Weiss Schnee! I am the W of team RWBY- WORK, YOU STUPID SEMBLANCE! _

"Looks like it's not working, is it?" without her notice, Sophia had gotten closer to her. "Do you really think I would let you with only a pair of cuffs and a single guard without any extra safety measures?"

"What did you do to me?" she asked, her body trembling with anger. "That's a secret" the CEO replied and grabbed the girl's chin with a pair of well-manicured nails "but rest assured; you have greater issues to worry about at the moment."

Weiss gulped. "Like what?" Sophia let her and nodded to the guard. The man released her leg cuffs- and earned a well-balanced kick in the guts.

The huntress charged to the CEO, but Sophia smiled at her. "Fall, if you please." The moment those words left her mouth, Weiss felt an immense exhaustion overcome her.

She fell down flat, panting and gasping. She tried to resist, but was immediately knocked down by the butt of Sophia's pistol. "Didn't you hear WHAT I SAID?" she raised her voice.

"Stop acting like the spoiled prized huntress and accept the truth. YOU LOST!" Sophia screamed. "Meet your fate with dignity, damn persistent Atlesian brat! I hate people like you who don't know their place."

Weiss gritted her teeth, trying to contain her anger. "I will… make you pay for this! For killing my team… even if it the last thing I will ever do- AH!"

The guard grabbed her from the wrists and dragged her over aside. "Madam, what are we going to do? She won't be any help this way!"

"Of course I have taken that into account as well!" the woman, now a little calmer, lit a cigar. "Weiss" she knelt next to her and grabbed her face.

Cyan locked with almond as Weiss felt her heart tingle again. _No… not this!_ "NO! I WON'T-" "You will help us infiltrate the facility and take down the forces defending it to the best of your ability."

Her heart resisted; she would never do this! This woman was the devil itself! She would never help this woman, despite being someone she would easily die for.

"Yes, my Lady" she nodded, her entire body visibly calmer. "Remove her cuffs" Carmel smiled triumphantly "and someone get me a painkiller please."

Her men complied and Wenge gathered everyone around the map. "This is the facility. Despite being in the middle of the forest, it has one single entrance and the area around it is cleared and easy to defend."

Weiss nodded. "But what is this then?" she asked, pointing to a long line starting from the north of the building and reaching deep inside the woods.

"That, Ms. Schnee, is a small secret escape passage. It is accessible from the facility's warehouse and reaches down to the forest, only a few hundred meters away from our current position."

"Then it would be an excellent place to infiltrate" the pale girl said. "Unfortunately, it also seems easy to defend. It has a single narrow corridor. A team of gunners would butcher anyone trying to use it."

Sophia grinned. "That's no problem. It was designed for cases such as this. The twenty people here and Peros are the only ones who know of this place. Not even the facility's workers are aware of its existence."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "How is that possible?" The woman's lips stretched even deeper. "It's sealed by a mechanical door carefully manufactured to resemble a tunnel's end."

The huntress snapped her head at the woman. "My Lady, this is-" "Exactly like the one your team fell upon in Yugure. We were the ones who designed it, you see" she winked at her.

"Impressive… In that case yes. It will definitely work! We only need to create an effective diversion for nobody to notice us until we reach the upper floors!"

"It is exactly as Ms. Schnee says" Wenge followed her. "Eight people will attack the facility in exactly three hours from now. The rest will use the secret passage and take down the defenders from behind."

Weiss solemnly nodded. "My Lady; I cannot attend combat like this. I can't use my semblance and I need to get my weapon back." Sophia raised her hand and carefully caressed the girl's hair.

"Of course you will, my dear" her heart soared. How could this woman be so beautiful; so perfect? She would do anything for her- anything only for those gorgeous shining eyes to keep staring at her this way.

"And the moment we take them all down, you will use it to stun yourself senseless, ok?" she rubbed her cheek with her nail. "Anything for you, my Lady."

"Good. Now go get prepared" she sent her off and then turned around to meet the gazes of Wenge and one of the masked guards. "What do you want?" she flatly asked.

"That ability of yours scares me shitless every time I see it, Boss." She narrowed her eyes "good; that way it reminds you who gives the orders around here. Dismissed."

As soon as the guard left Wenge spoke. "You are playing a dangerous game, Boss. Giving Schnee her weapon? Playing mind games? This is way too risky for my taste."

"I trust my semblance and the skill of your unit, Wenge. As for the mind games, they have worked finely so far" she whispered.

"As long as you don't blurt out anything, she will continue thinking she can't use her semblance. My entire being is focused on controlling and manipulating her- our strongest weapon is the stories we feed her."

"Madam" he narrowed his eyes. "I have been working for your family since I was her age; I would never do something like telling your secrets to her; or them."

Sophia smiled "and this is the reason at the end of all these, you will probably be the only one who will survive alongside me, Mr. Knight."

-o—

A couple hours later, the infiltration group consisting of Wenge, Weiss, Sophia and nine lightly armed guards was walking inside the secret passage.

They made no sound; even Weiss had been provided with an operation outfit resembling the others' save for the snow mask. "We should be there in about five minutes" their vanguard said.

"Good. Continue." The team moved on, Weiss carefully walking next to her master, trying her best to steal glances at her. "Shay sharp" the caramel-haired woman chastised her. "Sorry, my Lady."

Suddenly the first guard stopped. He raised his torch and showed everyone that the tunnel actually ended there. "Good" their Boss whispered. "They didn't find it."

Wenge raised his arm and everyone got their weapons ready. Weiss grabbed Crown and revolved its chamber to earth. Her mission was to observe, analyze and protect Sophia Carmel from attacks, after all.

Her charge walked slowly and carefully to the wall and started rubbing the stone. After some time, she found the hidden switch. The CEO drew her gun and then pressed the button.

The fake wall split in half with a slow, low-key mechanical sound. Everyone inside the passage was so tense; the rumbling of iron on stone sounded really louder than it actually was.

"Go!" Leading the team, Knight rushed forward. They all ran and checked the interior of the warehouse. Besides a few supplies, it was rather empty.

However, the sound of footsteps was heard from outside. Three men ran to the large door and opened it, while the others aimed towards the enemies-

"Wait!" as the door opened wide, everyone was shocked to see not the Fenris' forces, but the diversion team standing in the middle of the front yard.

"How did you get here?" Wenge asked. Confusion was evident on his face. "We checked most of the outer facility and met no resistance, Sir. Something…took down the guards."

"What do you mean by _something?_" Guarded closely by Weiss, Ms. Carmel stepped out. "We found remains of the guards, Madam" the man replied. "What killed them couldn't be human or faunus."

"Grimm…" the woman whispered and pointed towards the huntress. "Show her these remains. She might be able to find something."

Weiss realized at once why the guard had called them remains instead of bodies. The level of brutality those poor faunus had been killed with was not a first for her, but was definitely alarming.

Seeing such a beautiful woman casually checking the dismembered remains that way, was truly an unsettling scene. Most guards didn't get closer, preferring to check around for any chances of ambush.

"To be honest Madam" Wenge told his Boss as he stood next to her "I will be pretty impressed if she manages to deduce anything out of these… remains."

"I agree" Weiss replied, rubbing her boots off. "But I can learn a few things about how they died at least." Both the CEO and her henchman sent her a curious look.

"There is no bullet fired from their guns" Weiss explained. "Whatever that Grimm was, it took them by surprise. Additionally, they were all killed away from the fence and their weapons" she pointed at the distance between them and the entrance.

"Wait" Sophia interrupted her. "You mean they tossed their guns and fled?" The huntress smiled "exactly my lady. And, if I haven't made any mistake, this is impossible to happen with such clear view of the area."

"That is… wait that's impossible. Unless…" Wenge stopped, as Weiss nodded in approval. "Whatever killed them came out of the facility. I seriously doubt anyone inside the buildings is alive anymore, Madam."

Almond-colored eyes narrowed in anger. The amount of bad luck lately was starting to annoy her. "Whatever. Our goal remains the same; if the Grimm did our job, the better for us."

"Boss, I must disagree" the man complained. "We barely know anything about this and save for me and Ms. Schnee nobody is trained for taking down Grimm."

"I said, our goal remains the same" she shot a flat, emotionless glare at him. "Of all the people here, you should be the one who knows exactly how great the stakes are, Wenge."

"Miss Sophia" the man bit the inside of his cheek "if I let you die, the stakes won't matter." "Then don't let me die" she replied. "We have to at least confirm Fenris is among the dead. Then, we can leave."

The man was ready to protest, but suddenly stopped. The image of a caramel-colored woman smiling deviously at him as she quickly unfastened her blouse flashed through his mind.

"_Nobody will get hurt, Mr. Knight" _

He gulped and closed his eyes. "As you wish, madam." Sophia flashed a smile and turned to Weiss who was waiting for her command. "We are searching for Fenris' body. As soon as we find it, we leave."

"Yes, my Lady."

-o—

One of Carmel's men slammed the door open and two more rushed inside, providing cover. "Another dead body" one of them shouted "no enemies."

Sophia stepped in, Weiss accompanying her. The pool of torn flesh and gooey blood was splattered across the wall, splatters all over the staircase. A single broken gun was in front of it.

"My Lady" Weiss said as she walked next to it "stay on my right side where I can see you. If this Grimm is able to tear armed men apart that easily, I want to save every second I would need to rush to your aid."

The woman moved, smirking. _Who would have thought Weiss takes her role that seriously?_ Her short-distance radio sounded and she picked it up "Wenge?"

"The power station is clear, save for six more remains. Proceeding to the staff rooms." She licked her dried lips "roger; we should reach the control room in a while. Stay alert." "Over and out, Madam."

"My Lady" Weiss walked next to her. "The situation is very bad. I found what sort of Grimm we are facing." Sophia stared at the snow-colored girl in front of her, silent.

"There is a mark on the wall, like as if the victim was impaled by a huge spear. Or, more accurately, by a spear-like tail. We have a Valkraghast Grimm to deal with." "Never heard of it" Sophia replied.

"They are extremely rare and immensely dangerous. They look like a large Skeleton with long claws and a very powerful stinger in their tail. It has no poison, but is hard as a diamond."

"Madam! The stairs are clear! Do you want us to proceed?" a guard disrupted her. "No; we first check the storerooms below and then we go up! Two of you, stay here to guard the passage. The rest follow me!"

As her men started moving, she grabbed Weiss' arm and whispered "are you sure about this?" The huntress simply nodded.

"The only other species with such tails are the Deathstalkers and there is no way such a thing entered the facility unnoticed, My Lady" she replied, enjoying the firm contact.

"Ok" Sophia gulped. Then she grabbed Weiss' chin and stared at her, her eyes catching once more the young woman's breath. "Do not tell anyone. Understood?"

She nodded. How could she tell anyone if this wonderful woman asked her not to after all? "Good" she smiled, making the Schnee's heart flutter. "Let's go! Clear the way" she addressed her men.

With more confidence and total lack of the severity of their situation, the guards moved down the corridor, carefully checking every path. Two more butchered corpses were found, but nothing else.

Until one of them started checking the storerooms. "Good Lord… Ms. Carmel!" To his call, everyone rushed, their expressions a mix of horror and disgust when they viewed the interior of the second room.

Weiss and Sophia brushed them aside and walked in, both stopping to gasp.

The remains of a man, horribly butchered, were on a large table. The thick wood beneath him was dyed red with his dried blood and a huge bloodstain had spread and frozen from it.

Around the stain, a large circle was made, filled with weird-looking runes, slowly and steadily pulsing as if alive, formed by the slaughtered man's blood.

"This is weird…" the petite girl knelt and used a little fire dust to light the area. She turned around to stare at her Boss "it looks a lot like my glyphs… My Lady?"

It was a shock for Weiss and her men; no one, even the ones working for her since she formed this unit five years ago, had ever seen their boss staring with her mouth open like that.

_Why is there a fresh summoning circle here? And what did it summon? Was it that Valkraghast? WHY WOULD DAHLIAS TEACH ANYONE TO SUMMON GRIMM? _

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH! NO! HELP ME-" the horrified screams and sounds of gunfire broke the silence. "This came from upstairs!" Weiss ran out and spun Crown to its earth side.

The men around her readied their weapons and stood in front of her, as the sounds of heavy, inhuman footsteps echoed inside the corridor.

"Shoot it as soon as it makes its turn- it mustn't get closer to us!" Weiss explained. "And be ready to dodge- we don't know what it is!"

Sophia was still inside the room, her left hand on her chest as she tried to reach the other group. "Wenge, we have engaged something really dangerous. Please, come as soon as you can- we need you!"

The footsteps gradually became heavier and louder, as the thing moved closer to them. Everyone was tense, fingers ready to commence fire within a moment's notice.

On her own part, Weiss was becoming nervous. Something inside her told her this wasn't the place she should be. But she immediately discarded her thought; if Sophia was here, then so would she.

And after a few tense and terrifying seconds, the Grimm came into view. It slowly stepped around the corner, leaving bloody footprints behind it.

It was large, like a small Ursa, and had a human-like torso and an oval-shaped head with several spikes, small, pale red eyes and huge jaws.

Long, thin skeletal legs and equally long arms that seemed like they could make it walk on fours touched the ground. A large, bony tail with a massive, bloodied spike at its edge rose from behind its back.

The most horrifying thing about it was its color- the thing was so much covered in bone plating; it was almost entirely white with only a few black lines along its belly and joints.

That was all the ex-heiress managed to see before the men around her opened fire, showering the monster in dust-powered bullets.


	50. Dead Wind Whispers

**Hello again! As per every Wednesday, the new chapter is here! I hope you enjoy the 50th part of the story! **

**Thanks once more for following, favoring or simply reading the chapters. It really means a lot to me. **

**I wish everyone to be as well as possible under the circumstances we have come to lately live with. Yang in there and see you all next week! **

* * *

Bullets hurled all over their heads, ricocheting on the front car's armored plating with loud metal sounds. "Well, I didn't expect them to have extra people in hiding" Blake's voice sounded through the mask.

"To give credit where is due, Fenris was always a cautious one. As almost as you" Ilia answered, throwing her own mask away.

"Let's be happy they were on the opposite side of the car or we would have found ourselves in a very tight spot." The cat girl replied, checking her newly acquired weapon's ammo.

A couple of bullets found their way through the car's side window and showered them with broken pieces of glass. Both girls hastily cleared them off. "I think we are in a tight spot anyway. What do we do Blake?"

The yellow-eyed beauty finished counting. In the exact same moment, the rain on bullets stopped. "Think they are recharging?" Ilia asked. "More like baiting us" the reply came "but that gives us a chance."

She finished filling her rifle. "With my semblance and ammo combined, I can give you less than a minute. Can you reach them without being seen?"

The chameleon girl smiled and quickly discarded the uniform, revealing her normal outfit. "Forty seconds will be enough. Just be careful" she replied, attaching her whip to her side.

"Yes, Sun. I will" Blake joked halfheartedly. She didn't like asking Ilia to take them on her own. But she would hate to let her friend be the diversion even more.

"Go!" the cat faunus jumped out of the vehicle's cover, shooting with her weapon towards the trees. She didn't care whether she hit or not, just to provide cover fire.

Immediately, Ilia's skin changed and assimilated the ground's color. The chameleon girl crouched and quickly moved towards the location of their enemies.

Blake kept shooting for a few seconds, until the loud 'click' of her clip was heard. Retaliation was swift to come and she found herself the target of heavy gunfire.

As a pair of bullets pierced her eyes she teleported away. The response was immediate and she had to roll on the ground before blinking again.

The girl found herself on top of the armored vehicle's roof. The shooting continued, bullets hailing all over the air and totally annihilating the tree line behind her.

She jumped down. Before even touching the ground, she used her clone to return to the top. The further she blinked, the tougher it would be for them to adjust their aim. Or at least, that's what she hoped.

A few seconds later, the shooting stopped. A series of sizzling sounds accompanied by gasps of shock and pained thuds followed it. "Clear!" Ilia shouted.

The raven-haired girl threw off her mask and stared at the other side where the situation had been resolved as well. _And now, the tough part…_ she thought.

_**A few minutes earlier**_

Yang and Simon hadn't yet made a move, still sizing each other. Black eyes narrowed and red ones blazed in anticipation, as the sound of gunfire filled their ears.

The faunus attacked first. With a swing of his arm, he created a poison mist and sent it towards the huntress. Not waiting for her reaction, he ran through it taking advantage of the cover it provided him.

_Thank dust he demonstrated his semblance earlier! _Yang jumped forward and used her metal arm to grab one of the over-sized barrels.

Without even getting bothered by the immense weight, the brawler tipped it over. Simon screamed in horror as the precious cargo got emptied on his mist-covered body.

The clear, fresh liquid washed the poison away and soaked him to his very being. But, save for the feeling of cold that permeated his body, there was no other issue; not even smell.

He licked his wet lips. "Water?" he asked in confusion and then immediately rolled away to avoid Yang's left hook. He stood up, taking his distance from the dangerous woman.

"Dunno what you were expecting, but it seems that Carmel was as willing to uphold the deal you made as much as you, pal." She spat on the ground to clear her mouth "as I said, today's not lucky for you."

He didn't reply; instead, he slowly let his toxin cover his skin and wore his spiked knuckles. If she wanted a close quarter fight, he would make her regret it for sure.

Grinning widely, the terrorist charged forward. Poison dripped from his knuckles as he entered the woman's threat range. A mere touch would be enough- it would corrode her aura in no time.

Yang changed her body stance. She placed her right shoulder forward and raised her mechanical arm, holding the left one backwards for balance.

A spiked punch flew to her head- she deflected it. A second one went for her stomach. She elbowed it. A kick to her ankles. Yang jumped high and punched the man, forcing him to stop his attack.

And all these, while using only her metal limb. Annoyed, Simon rushed to her left side, trying to attack her weak spots. Yang wasn't caught flat-footed. She had been anticipating this from the beginning.

The huntress stepped heavily on her left foot and swung with all her might. Her speed was so great; the faunus was forced to stop his attack midway and guard.

The woman's punch threw him to slam his back on the car. Before he could even think of counterattacking, Yang ran next to him.

Considering this his chance, the terrorist ran to her, intending to poison the huntress with a full-body slam. He quickly reached her- _wait, what is she doing?_

Instead of trying to defend, Yang grabbed the second barrel from the truck. "AAAAAGG!" with immense effort, she flipped it upside down and tossed it on him.

Simon's vision was filled with metal as the empty barrel came on him. He tried to block by holding it with his hands. That was his big mistake. Yang had already picked the last one.

The exact moment the man threw the improvised weapon away, he found himself getting showered by even more water. Before he could even react, the brawler used the flipped barrel to trap him.

Yang jumped next to the now-trapped faunus. "They say some faunus have very good hearing; are you among them?" she asked, as she started punching the barrel's outer walls.

A cacophony of painful sounds filled the inside of this makeshift prison, forcing Simon to try and close his eyes. The echoing sounds inside it were loud, merciless and hurt worse than gunfire.

"Ahhh! AA! AAAAAAA! STOP! STOP IT, PLEASE! IT- IT HUURTS! AAAH!" "SURRENDER AND FALL TO THE GROUND, OR I DON'T STOP!" the reply came.

The man closed his eyes and fell to his knees. "OK! I FELL! GAH! NOW, PLEASE STOP!" The barrel got removed and the drenched, hurt and disoriented person was exposed to the huntress' furious glare.

"Come over here" Yang grabbed him. "And if I sense any poison coming from you, I will break your neck" she added, before dragging him off with her.

-o—

"So" Yang addressed her two friends. "What are we going to do with those characters?" She pointed towards the eight unconscious faunus tied up inside the armored car.

"Well, the guy you nearly deafened is Simon; an ex-White Fang member. He seemed to be the one in command here. Gathering information from his seems sensible" Ilia replied.

"Good. Then I will wake-" Blake stopped her partner. "We have to discuss something first, Yang. What are we going to do with them afterwards?"

"Hmm, nothing I guess" the blonde replied. "We just took their weapons and provisions; we can't simply let them here die! This is something _they_ would do!"

Lilac narrowed in a very serious manner. "Blakey, you know how much I treasure your opinion and respect your morals" she fumed from her nose, trying to carefully choose her next words.

"But from what Little Cham over there said, that bitch Carmel is planning to do something really stupid and has brought Weiss along with her. We have zero time available and lack of proper info."

"I agree with her" Ilia stared at her fellow faunus. "Both for your friend's sake and ours, Aegis Forest isn't a good place to spend a lot time into. We don't have time to babysit our enemies, Blake."

"I agree; and this is why I wanted us to discuss it. If we let them here die, wouldn't you both feel just a little guilty?"

Yang rubbed her nose "if we just let this Simon guy take care of them? An average Grimm is not a threat for someone of his power. And don't worry about us; we can take care of them no matter what."

"It's not the average Grimm I am afraid of" the petite chameleon replied. "Aegis is known among the faunus who live in Solitas for the immensely powerful ones; average Grimm avoid it if possible."

Blake and Yang exchanged a worried stare. "Fenris' occult stuff. Carmel's plan. The Grimm avoiding this place… I see a pattern here and I really don't like it" the tall girl said.

"We have to get Weiss and leave this place as soon as possible; regroup with Ruby and organize a proper plan this time" Blake agreed and then closed her eyes in defeat.

"Ok, I accept your points. Wake Simon up and we will let him guard his men." Yang moved forward and smiled gratefully at her partner before moving on to the unconscious man.

A few not so graceful attempts later, and Simon found himself getting stared by the trio. He checked his binds; not so tight, but he was sure Xiao Long would beat him again if he tried anything funny.

"Hello Simon" Ilia said. "Hello traitor" he replied. Immediately, a strong hand grabbed his arm and squeezed like an iron vice.

"Say anything stupid again, and I will not hesitate to break a bone or two" the woman told him. "We need some information, Simon" Blake continued. "Then, we will let you all be."

"And why should I tell you anything?" he asked. "Because if you don't it will be barrel time for you all over again. And this time, I will NOT STOP until your ears bleed buddy" the blonde smiled sweetly.

"Fenris will skin me alive, _human_, if I tell you anything." He turned to the other two girls "like he did with Carlo, for example."

Ilia's eyes shot open. "What? Carlo is-" "Dead. And knowing Gray, I can ensure you his end was not a peaceful one." The chameleon girl looked at Blake, who was visibly saddened.

"How did he find out?" the cat girl asked. "Turns out Ms. Carmel was watching your phones; she sent the recording to Gray and the rest, well, you can imagine them."

"This must be how she knew we were coming to her" Yang turned to Blake. "She must have heard from Cherry about us."

"I agree. And eavesdropping on our communications would be pretty easy for the owner of one of Atlas' biggest communication companies. We played right into her hands."

"If not for Little Cham, we could actually be dead right now!" Yang stood up "where is Fenris? Carmel must be going to him. If we find him, we find Weiss."

"That is something I am not going to tell you even if you torture me. I am sure you can't be as terrifying as him." Yang grabbed the man "try me; I will be more than happy to prove you-"

"Yang" Blake had walked next to her "please calm down. You- you are scaring me right now." She turned and glared at her "good. It means that this little piece of shit will piss his pants then."

"Hey, what's that smell?" Ilia's voice cut both of them off. "What smell?" Yang, visibly annoyed, asked her. "I don't-"

"It's like the air just got musty…and heavy. And there is something sweet lingering around, like blood." The voice had come from Shayne, who had woken up along with Terry and were sniffing around.

Yang threw Simon on them, earning a loud protest from the two wolf men. "Hey" she heard the petite girl say again. "Why are only those trees over there moving?"

The blonde girl quickly inserted a dust shard inside her metal arm's gun. _Thank Mr. Polendina for using average military-grade cartridges_. "Because something moves behind them" Blake's voice replied.

"Wake everyone up and get inside the armored car" Yang told Simon. "Unless you want to die, that is" Blake added "we can't protect you out here in the open."

The three faunus got up, hands still tied, and tried to move towards the rest of the captives. "Hey guys. Wake up; we really have to go!"

Meanwhile the huntresses were focused on the strange movement. The musty odor became heavier to the point even Yang could smell it.

It reminded her of wet straws piled up on top of each other; and filled in animal corpses. The wind blew heavily and messed up her hair- not even touching Blake's deformed curls.

"Hey guys. Please, wake up." In the background, Shayne and Terry's voices cut off the silence. "We really have to-"

It suddenly appeared. There was no movement, no sound, nothing. As if the strange, sickly sweet wind carried it along, the creature suddenly appeared above the two wolf men.

It was as tall as a house. The body was human-like; dark as if night itself had been infused in it. Long pitch-black clawed arms, resembling tree branches. Black legs ending in hooves made of white glistering bone.

The same white covered its breast, shoulders and groin, but instead of hard armor, it seemed like it was flowing like the remains of a tattered cape.

The worst part was its head, however. It was made of bone and resembled the skull of a stag, with one pair of large horns. Its eyes were pulsing, unlike any other Grimm's, with an abyssal black glow.

Nobody moved. The speed at which the Grimm appeared among them was insane. It lowered its head at the unconscious faunus and sniffed the air.

"RUN AWAY!" Blake was the first to break out of the shock. She raised her borrowed rifle and shot at it, allowing Shayne, Terry and Simon to make a mad dash for the trees.

Ilia followed suit and the monster got penetrated by series of dust-powered large-caliber bullets. Aiming high to avoid hitting the prisoners lying at its feet, they emptied their clips-

As quickly as it appeared, the thing vanished. Without any indication that it got destroyed, it simply disappeared before their eyes.

Yang held her breath "stay vigilant! It may still be around here!" She tried to go after the runaway terrorists, but got distracted by another sound.

A huge gust of wind hit the road, throwing snow and mud upon them. Trees started moving, their branches furiously swaying in the sudden breeze, albeit in a totally unnatural manner.

"Wait! Don't go towards the trees!" she screamed trying to stop the men running to their doom, but to no avail. Simon heard her and stopped "Terry! Shayne! Don't-" His comrades were not that lucky.

A series of vines and branches shot out from the dark part of the forest. They surged and lashed, like primordial claws trying to ensnare their prey.

Ilia stifled a gasp as the protruding vegetation mercilessly snapped and crushed the two men. Their screams of agony were the last thing the survivors heard before their corpses were dragged inside the woods, leaving a horrifying red trail behind them.

"NO!" Simon tried to chase them, but Yang jumped and grabbed him. "Don't be a moron! We have to go and help the others!" she cut his binds "if you try anything stupid, I will kill you" she reminded him.

Braches and vines erupted from the other side of the road as well. They swarmed the area, trying to capture the rest of them. They reached the armored car and grabbed it.

"No you won't! Ilia get them out!" Blake screamed and drew a pair of hunting knives. She dashed towards the deadly appendages to stop their advance.

Flipping her knives, the faunus cut off a pair of branches. Another one impaled her clone, as she sidestepped and cut it off. Two more aimed for her legs but she blinked away again.

Meanwhile, Ilia had stepped inside the vehicle. She grabbed the first person and- the entire car shook, as a powerful force started moving it. _It's dragging the car into the woods!_

Yang and Simon reached out to the attacking mass of wood and vine. The man punched, kicked and snapped with fury evident on his face.

Yang, meanwhile, grabbed the car and started pulling. The thing was strong; immensely strong actually. But so was she.

"AAAAA!" she put all her strength in her arms and waist, planting her legs on the ground. The briars' pull stopped and the fiery blonde started stepping back, slowly dragging the captives back to safety.

Three vines let go of the car and launched at her, but Blake was there. She twirled her knives and sliced, allowing her duplicate to get torn apart in order to cut through the last one.

Ilia found her step and started pulling them out one by one, throwing them away from the contested vehicle. She wasn't one for manual labor, but she hoped she could do before Yang gave in.

Unfortunately for them, their enemy didn't show such kindness. The ground shook and hundreds of wooden spikes and stakes raked the earth. They pierced the floor of the armored car, killing all the faunus and grazing Ilia who barely managed to avoid being hit.

"Gurg!" Simon didn't even realize what happened, as his impaled body was risen high, spilling blood all over the snow. Yang was hit by countless attacks and was forced to leave the car.

Blake sliced, cut and evaded. Her semblance was trying to keep her alive but her vision was blurry from the insane amount of white, brown and blood red swirling around her.

"Ilia get out!" she heard Yang scream. She activated her ability and performed a series of consecutive jumps to reach her partner.

Tears in her eyes as she stared at the corpses of the people she failed to save, the chameleon rolled off the car and grabbed Yang's arm. She saw that Blake was next to her and that at least made her feel better.

"Hold on tight!" Ilia had barely managed to realize that the blonde woman had pierced her left arm with a small purple dust shard. She instinctively grabbed her waist seconds before she jumped away.

Empowered by the dust and her semblance, Yang landed quite the distance away from the massacre sight. She heard a couple groans from her friends- the only people that made it out of there alive.

"We have to go. Can you walk?" she asked as she stared towards their back. Ilia and Blake mimicked her, rifle and knives at their hands.

The site was a messy mixture of spikes, mist, dust, blood spatters and, well… human parts. A gust of air raked the area and the Stag-headed Grimm appeared as suddenly as before next to Carlo's corpse.

Without even paying attention to them, it lowered its head. The girls' felt a chill running down their spines as it _ignored_ them and silently started devour Carlo's remains.

Yang closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "We have to get out of here, as soon as possible. We don't have anything to gain from fighting it right now" she told the two faunus.

Blake had a sad look on her face, ears flat on top of her head. "I agree; we have no time to waste." Ilia merely nodded, gun aimed towards the opening.

There was nothing more to say. Battered, exhausted and cold, the three women ran away from the atrocious Grimm, their pride and dignity severely damaged.

Behind them, the creature feasted on the corpses, the sickening wind of death whispering behind the trees its only companion.


	51. Tarnished Pride

**Hello again everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are as well as possible, all things considered. **

**Chapter 51 is here. I hope you enjoy it! **

**As always, thanks a lot for reading/following or favoring the story. I wish you all good health and as much positive thinking as possible! See you next week! **

* * *

The bullets hit the Grimm head on. They ricocheted on its plating, spreading around the hall. However, the force behind them was enough to push the monster back.

"AGAIN!" without hesitation, Weiss commanded and the men complied without complains. As the Valkraghast got grounded, she pointed Crown forward, activating her dust.

A tall slab of rock erupted from below, totally sealing the Grimm away from them. "We must move before it breaks it, my Lady!" Weiss shouted towards Sophia who had just walked out of the room.

"You heard her!" she addressed her people. Immediately, the sound of pounding filled the room. The wall Weiss had erected started cracking and an angry howl was heard from behind it.

"Move!" Two men moved forward, Sophia behind them. They ran past the wall, hastily moving up the stairs. Weiss and four men rushed after them, as the wall started getting collapsed.

The last two walked past it immediately, but it was already too late for one of them. "GLAGH!" the poor fellow didn't even manage to scream as the tail pierced his throat.

"SHOOT IT!" Sophia's voice from atop the stairs shouted. Before Weiss could complain about the dangers of friendly fire, the guards emptied their clips of the thing.

The rain of bullets forced it back again, without any visible damage done however. "Move!" the CEO pointed towards the upper floor.

"Please no!" Weiss objected. "It has the advantage in narrow spaces! We have to pull it out in the open! Please, my Lady."

The caramel haired woman stared at Weiss for a second, while the sound of gunfire echoed in the corridors. "Move up and then towards the exit!" she finally concluded, to the pale girl's delight.

As soon as the last person walked past her, Weiss emptied her earth canister and sealed the ladder. Then, slightly confused for the lack of slamming sounds from below, she followed them.

"WENGE!" Sophia screamed for the umpteenth time in her radio. "WHERE IN DUST ARE YOU?" she started sounding really worried.

They reached the 1st floor and walked past their horribly slain comrades without even stopping to acknowledge them. Then, they walked down the staircase leading to the exit.

The first guard slammed the door open and looked towards the right and left, securing the area. He failed to check above, however. That was his last mistake.

A pair of large, skeletal claws grabbed him in front of his horrified comrade. "NONONOOOO! PLE-"

Anyone barely managed to react. The Valkraghast immediately dragged him up and ended his life with a disgusting crunch. His weapon fell down, splashes of blood following it.

"It's here!" the second guard slammed the door shut. "How did it manage to come out that easily?" Sophia glared at Weiss.

"Its most distinct feature is the ability to climb on any surface as fast as a spider. But I have no idea how it left the dungeon below." She lowered her gaze "I am sorry, my Lady."

Before Sophia could reprimand her, the sound of heavy footsteps reached them, coming from above. Huntress, CEO and the six remaining men accompanying them all turned and looked up.

Faster than anything could possibly have moved, the horrifying bone creature stared at them from above the staircase. Fresh blood ran down its jaws, dying its exoskeleton red.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" Sophia screamed and immediately her men opened fire. The Valkraghast jumped and hung from the ceiling, avoiding the bullets.

It ran towards them at impossible speed. Weiss barely managed to conjure a huge stalactite she shot to cut them off from it. The door opened and Sophia was escorted outside from two guards.

A split second later, Weiss saw the Grimm crash her ice block. "AAAAAA!" it landed on top of a guard and totally ignoring his aura tore his flesh to shreds. "GET OUT! NOW!" Weiss commanded them.

Another guard moved out as the other two started retreating, pummeling the monster with bullets. It jumped to the left, avoiding the gunfire. It opened its jaws and jumped-

A huge fireball slammed the Grimm on the face, courtesy of Crown. The monster roared in pain, trying to stand. "MOVE!" its wielder shouted. They happily complied as the Valkraghast stood up and shot forward.

Weiss shot another huge blast and stopped its advance. She then rolled backwards and jumped in the open, allowing them to close the metal door behind her.

"Get away from the walls!" At the huntress' command, the five guards and Sophia ran and stopped in the middle of the yard, in a place that would allow them to see this thing if it dared try attack them.

"Madam" one of them said "I am not confident we can repel it even if we see it coming! Our bullets only push it back and as soon as we run out of ammo, we are done for!"

Sophia was fuming. Wenge wasn't picking up. For all she knew, he and his men were dead already. And as soon as this thing reached them, they were all dead too.

Schnee was in no top shape, much thanks to her own meddling. Should they fall back? No. If Fenris had somehow escaped, everything she had planned and lived for these past five years would-

"My Lady" Weiss' voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "If you trust me, I have a plan." Everyone stared at the girl. "What sort of plan?" she asked her.

"I will explain, but first I want to check all our dust supplies. It is a risky one, but if we pull it, we have a good chance to survive." Sophia glared at her.

_Chance?_ She hated leaving things to luck. Luck had never been kind to her after all. She had reached her position of power by determination, hard work and had spat luck on the face every single time.

_On the other hand…_ "Tell us; what do you want us to do?" She smiled, glad to see the woman acknowledge her.

The Valkraghast, meanwhile, had reached once more the rooftop. After it had found it could fit in the extensive ventilation shaft of the building, every one inside it had become its prey.

Its hungry red eyes gleamed as it watched the humans. They had assumed shooting positions, ready to attack. They were really away from it, but there was no problem.

The attack came as fast as always. It ran down the wall with immense speed, avoiding the gunfire as its limbs allowed it to swiftly maneuver away from it.

"Keep steady… fire!" Weiss was behind the five men, sword in hand, ready to protect Sophia. "Fire again!"

As soon as it reached the ground, it charged. A few gunshots grazed its armor. It didn't even flinch. They were not able to harm it like this, unlike before.

"Steady…now!" another series of shots ricocheted on its armor. It was now nearly next to them; its prey would never manage to escape like this.

"Throw the Dust!" at once, four of them took out the cartridges they had removed from their guns and threw it at the monster.

"SHOOT!" Sophia and the fifth man shot their guns loaded with cold dust and hit the vials. The dust activated, creating a large frozen shard that kept the thing's feet in place.

"It wasn't enough!" "IT IS!" Weiss focused. Using the energy from the gravity and lightning dust she had obtained, she created a familiar array of glyphs.

She couldn't summon; she couldn't fight properly or aim. But this was an immobilized enemy very close to her. And behind her, Sophia was standing! There was no way she would ever miss that shot!

The Valkraghast roared, trying to move. Its tail slammed and the ice cracked as it started to move forward. It was so close to the humans, it could almost taste their fear and helplessness.

Its body got released with a loud crack. One second later, Weiss shot forward like a missile and passed through the Grimm's body. Lightning Stinger pierced its armor and evaporated it in a thick black cloud.

Weiss rolled down on the ground and immediately shot back to see if her enemy had survived. The only thing she met, however, was the awed stare of Sophia Carmel.

Her men were probably equally awed, but she couldn't see behind the masks. And she actually didn't care. The only thing she cared for was her; and she had saved her.

"I am astonished!" "So that's what members of team RWBY can do!" "Well done, Ms." Sophia rolled her eyes. "Stop complimenting her and get moving; we have to find the others and finish checking here!"

As if having heard her, the radio beeped "Ms. Carmel?" She picked it up, half angry and half relieved. "Where have you been, Wenge? I have tried calling you for at least half an hour!"

"I am really sorry, Madam. The staff rooms' entrance was barricaded so we had to go from outside the building." "That still doesn't explain your absence."

"We found a few faunus survivors. They were armed, so I couldn't reply, Madam." Sophia's eyebrow shot up. "Did you kill them?"

"Five survived and I can almost assure you they are the only ones except from us in the entire facility." She stared at her men, who were still showering Weiss with praise.

"Keep them tied up and bring them to the communication room. We shall meet you there."

-o—

The communication room was a huge mess. The mainframes were horribly damaged, the high-tech PCs seemingly destroyed and the place was ransacked like a horde of bandits had passed through.

There were old bloodstains everywhere, accompanied by some relatively fresh horribly mangled corpses, mostly of faunus nature.

Weiss stood dutifully next to Sophia as she finished exchanging information with Wenge about their findings.

All that time, five of their guards were inside the room. Five faunus, badly beaten and tied, were on their knees. They all had their heads hung save for a brown-haired man with a lizard tail and green skin.

"I need answers." She moved right in front of them. "And I hate not getting what I need. Who among you is the higher ranked one?"

There was no answer. Nobody dared even talk. "Ok, next question. How many of these" she pointed towards the destroyed equipment "happened because of you?"

Again, there was no answer. "Madam" Wenge said. "Do you want me to interrogate them? I can-" "No" she cut him off and knelt next to the leftmost one; a young-looking girl with brown hair and goat horns.

She focused her semblance, earning a gasp from Weiss who had walked next to her. "Show me; who among you is the highest-ranked one?"

Charmed by her ability, the girl showed towards the brown-haired man. "The only one to show signs of defiance, huh. How typical. Thank you" she stood up and addressed her guards.

"Find a room to use as prison and put this one in. Tie him even more." She drew a cigarette. "Kill the other four." All faunus' eyes opened wide as the closest guard raised his weapon- "NO!"

Surprising everyone, Weiss drew Crown and jumped, kicking the first armed man. He fell back and the huntress stood, her cyan eye gleaming in anger.

Sophia stared at her "and what exactly are you supposed to be doing now?" She gulped. Her breath was erratic. "My Lady; they are prisoners and have lost all will to fight. You gain nothing by killing them!"

The guards and Wenge drew their guns. They had her outnumbered; she was out of dust and missing an eye. In addition, she was defending others

However, no one tried to make the first move- the image of Weiss annihilating a Grimm earlier was too fresh. Nobody among them was sure she couldn't do something equally ridiculous again.

Sophia puffed out a smoke ring. She was losing her calm- and pretty fast. "These good-for-nothing criminals slaughtered my people here with no hesitation and you want me to spend resources taking care of them?" she slightly raised her voice and moved towards the huntress.

"They are no threat. Executing captives is something murderers like Fenris do!" the caramel-colored woman stood right in front of her.

"Weiss" she leveled her eyes at her. Like always, they shone. Their almond-shaped irises were beautiful, breathtaking, intending to make the weakened girl drown in them. "Move away."

She felt… attracted. Elevated. _Disgusted! _"AAAH!" without any prior notice, Weiss sliced Sophia's chest. The sudden attack caught the woman by surprise and she didn't manage to flare her aura in time.

"GET OUT OF MY MIND, YOU MANIPULATING BITCH!" Weiss roared and ran towards the woman. She was the woman who had controlled her and filled her mind with disgusting feelings.

She was the one who had killed Blake. She was the one who had taken Yang, her Yang, her beautiful Ray of Happiness. She was the one behind everything!

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion hit her. She immediately felt dizzy and collapsed, her sword falling off her hand. Weiss crashed on the bloodstained floor, gasping for breath.

Wenge ran and helped Sophia to her feet. "Madam, are you-" "Yes! I am fine!" she threw a hateful stare to the pale girl trying to get up. "Nice save, Wenge. Thank you." He nodded in acceptance.

"No, you-" the ex-heiress tried to move, but one of the guards had already moved next to her and hit her with his rifle butt.

Sophia checked her chest. A thin line of blood had stained her jacket, but otherwise the wound seemed shallow. _She couldn't aim properly, huh?_

"You two" she told her men "go fetch me a first aid kit." The CEO walked in front of Weiss and leveled her with a gaze. She didn't shout of hit, but the anger behind her pulsing eyes was clearly visible.

"I told you already; learn your place. And you refuse to comply. Do you think you can help the poor little faunus over there who would possibly skin you alive if they could?"

"I was trying to get the world rid of a cold-blooded killer." Sophia grabbed her chin and met her eye with her own. "Like your father?" Weiss laughed "mentioning someone I hate won't prove your point."

"You are the kind I hate the most" Sophia whispered next to Weiss' mouth. "A brat who was served anything she wished and suddenly decided to play the hero. You forgot your place- among the other spoiled rich kids."

She squeezed the pale girl's cheeks "you don't deserve the second chance you got. You are filled with the sins of your blood in your veins and seeing you act all heroic makes me want to flay you to an inch of your existence."

"Say whatever foolishness you want. You took the people I love from me" Weiss replied. "My pride is all I have left; I won't let you take that as well."

The older woman smiled deviously. She focused all her aura into her eyes and flared her semblance. The pain nearly split her head in half.

But she didn't care. All she cared for was to show this brat what happened to defiant little bitches like her. "Take your sword and kill those four."

Weiss' heart skipped with horror. "No…NOOOO!" She wouldn't make her do that! She couldn't make her do that! She would never do that! _STOP LOOKING AT ME WITH THESE WONDERFUL EYES!_

The proud huntress stood up. Her gaze was empty and hollow. Her eye was filled in sadness and grief. She trembled as she picked her blade.

As she felt her body move, she prayed for her heart to stop. Maybe if she could just drop dead, she could save the only thing remaining to her at this point.

The only saving grace was that she knew she wouldn't remember their faces after she would wake up.

-o—

"_Let the brave huntsmen fight…" _Weiss' voice slowly reached the end of the song.

"_Their souls blessed in the night…" _she had woken up in this small prison room a few minutes earlier, cuffed and tied to a wall.

"_Prey they are the ones to gaze…"_ her memories of the last thing she did were hazy, but she remembered what she had been commanded to do.

"_The morning sun rise ablaze…" _even if she had forgotten, Sophia was 'kind' enough to let her keep her bloodstained clothes.

She looked down again. The red splatters on it were a huge antithesis to the gray-white of the uniform. Outlines from her fallen tears were visible above them.

She had been forced to kill those people. Her pride, her honor, the family name she was struggling to uphold through her life, was tarnished.

A little voice inside her mind tried to tell her it wasn't her fault. She knew it. It didn't help her at all. She had ended up from a proud huntress to a toy for Sophia Carmel's outbursts.

"You have a beautiful voice; and an even better taste in songs" the male voice that sounded made Weiss snap out of her sadness.

On the other side of the room, half-visible behind the large pipe he was tied to, the faunus with the lizard tail sat. He was horribly beat and visibly exhausted, but his eyes stared at her with interest.

"You… know that song?" The man nodded "nursery rhymes are not that common in Atlas nowadays, but most faunus whose families come from the rest of Solitas have heard a song or two."

Weiss nodded, visibly tired "thank you. I appreciate the compliment." He gave her a weak smile. "I should be the one thanking you."

"W-why?" she replied, a little uncertain. "Heh" he smiled "you stood up for us; got beat up and tortured mentally for our sake. It's not behavior we have been used to receive, especially from a Schnee."

A Schnee… the name sounded so foreign in her ears. _Am I truly a Schnee? Am I worthy of the family name any more I wonder?_ "I don't deserve your thanks; I failed to protect them. I killed them with my-"

"-own hands, yeah. I saw it. But it wasn't you who did it, young girl. Heck, you weren't even in control of your body when you did it! Who would have guessed this woman had such a powerful ability!"

She lowered her head. "You are being way too kind to me. I still let myself be captured and exploited like this. I am at fault. I should be stronger than that."

"That makes you a careless person" he stated "but far from a weak or a bad one." "Again, you give me too much credit" she sniffed, trying to ease her running nose.

"Maybe" he replied again. "But I am sure that most people would be proud to say that even under the control of an enemy semblance they managed to stand their ground and fight for their beliefs. Don't sell yourself shortly, girl."

Realizing she wouldn't make this man stop complimenting her, she simply accepted the praise. "At this point it sounds stupid" she sniffed once more "but I am Weiss, ex-huntress. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. My name is Kendrick Fern, ex-White Fang member and former Lieutenant of Blood Moon Company."

"Former?" she asked. "Yes, former. In the very unlikely case I survive, I refuse to continue working for a guy who butchered my friend like a pig and summoned this monster here to kill us all."

Weiss' eye narrowed. A small tinge of curiosity broke through the barrier of sadness. "What do you mean, he 'summoned' it?" she asked.

"Gray has lost his mind. He captured a weird-looking man and-" "Sorry, but I am aware of all these. What I am asking is how did he summon a Grimm like that? Is that his semblance?"

Kendrick lowered his gaze and licked his lips. "Do you believe in magic, Ms. Schnee?" Her gaze froze. First, she thought of Salem and the Maidens. But then, her mind traveled back in the restless port of Grimmwater and Alizar's rune arrays.

"Kendrick" she whispered back. "Please tell me everything; right from the beginning."


	52. Cold Wind, Snow and Pain

**Hello again, everyone! I will not blabber today at all since I am sure a lot of us are not in the mood. **

**Chapter 52 is up! I hope you like it! Thanks a lot for following/favoring/reading the story! **

**I will see you all next week and until then I wish you all the best! Be as healthy and as happy as possible! **

* * *

"Finally, there are two vantage points right behind the alley, one day's worth of walk from here." Sophia hummed and noted the information Kendrick provided her down in her scroll.

"You have been such a nice boy- go to sleep now" she smiled poisonously at the faunus who simply shut his eyes and started snoozing.

She rose from the chair she had been using while interrogating the man and turned around to leave. As soon as she did so, her eyes fell on Weiss who was staring hatefully at her.

"Keep looking at me this way and I will make you regret it" she walked in front of her. "You made me kill helpless captives- there are not many worse things you can do to me right now."

"This is your fault" she coldly replied. "Nothing like that would have happened if you just behaved." The alabaster girl's mouth hung wide open.

"You have no right to demand my obedience! Who the hell do you think you are?" The woman's lips slightly curled upwards. It unnerved the huntress to no end.

"I am the one who decides whether you live or die, Ms. Schnee. So I suggest you start showing me your best behavior." Weiss bit her lip, trying to keep the proper response from coming out.

She failed "I would rather strip naked, make night calls to your guards' chambers and then slice my throat in a gutter than behaving to earn your affection."

Carmel brought the chair in front of Weiss and sat. She lit a cigarette and took a quick whiff before replying. "I preferred it when you were jumping to protect me screaming 'My Lady' like a love-struck fan girl."

A sound of disgust was her reply "this wasn't me; it was a puppet you created with my body and mind. I feel so tainted now that I heard that."

"Big words from someone who has a criminal's blood running inside her veins" Sophia shot back. "I am not responsible for my father's actions- and I will not accept any association with him" Weiss countered.

"Once more, you talk big. You can't escape what you are Weiss." The Schnee groaned. She really, really wanted to lash out and break that perfect teeth of hers till those full red lips coughed blood.

Still, there was something weird on Sophia's behavior. Something familiarly weird. "Are you truly talking to me? Or is it your own self you are trying to convince?"

She closed her eyes and gave a haughty smile "don't flatter yourself; I am merely telling you that I can't stand people like you, who think they can wash away the sins that stain their blood simply by acting like goody two shoes."

Her voice was flat but, unlike the previous time, Weiss could feel the pulsing hatred from behind it. "You have no right to judge me, _murderer_."

Sophia narrowed her eyes and took a large whiff. "Funny thing; that whore of a mother I had told me the exact same thing the last time I saw her before she died."

_Whore of a mother? _"You are curious, aren't you?" She rose from the chair "unfortunately, I have no intention of telling you." Weiss glared at the woman.

"Have fun, Ms. Schnee. And try contemplating what I told you by the time I will require your services again." She walked away under the huntresses' fierce glare and slammed the door behind her.

She had smoked two more cigarettes by the time she reached the communications' room. Wenge and the other two of her men who had technical knowledge were inside, trying to fix the broken equipment.

"How are we doing?" she asked as soon as she stepped in. "I am sorry" the dark-skinned man replied. "The damage is beyond extensive. It will take a considerable amount of hours and with the upcoming blizzard-"

"Enough; I get the point." The situation was really bad; Fenris had his lair near the valley, so he was one day ahead of them. As soon as the blizzard stopped, he would be able to quickly reach the tomb.

"How's the antenna doing?" She addressed the technicians. "A simple maintenance should be enough for it to work, but without any sort of central mainframe, there is no reason to do so."

"Go fix it" she pulled her laptop out of her bag. "Reprogram the antenna to use my laptop's network in place of the central control PC. And hurry, before the blizzard catches up to you."

They both bowed and left the room. As soon as they exited, Wenge turned around to his Boss. "How are the prisoners?" he asked.

"Why do you ask?" Sophia replied. "You have visited them three times already and every time you return even more furious, Madam."

"I don't need your sympathy, Mr. Knight." "You need rest, Ms. Carmel" he insisted. "Just, go sleep; for a couple hours. Until the antenna is reprogrammed at least."

Her eyes closed for a mere second. The temptation of sleep was so sweet; luring her to a world where she would be calm and serene. Where her parents were still alive.

A world where she didn't have to smoke half a pack of cigars to throw away the image of her mother's smile as she flaunted her sins to her father.

"Just for a few minutes…" was the only thing she managed to say before her exhaustion caught up with her.

-o—

Matthew Moose opened the door of his cabin and took in the spectacular view. The morning air was strong, fresh and cold, coming straight down from the depths of Aegis Forest.

The tall, brown haired man with the antler horns got quickly dressed and picked his axe. The work of a lumberjack was a heavy one, but he paid no mind.

He loved his isolation and nature truly provided him with everything he ever wanted. Save from the traders who came by once a month to buy his stock, and the occasional convoy passing by towards that Communication Facility in the forest, no one bothered to get that close to the mysterious woods.

Which was why he got really surprised when the distinct roar of engines disrupted the peaceful winter morning. Always cautious, he gripped his weapon and turned towards the source of the sound.

Two black snowmobiles, polished and brand new, steadily approached his cabin. When they stopped next to him, he saw three people were riding them.

They wore red winter suits with heavy jackets and pants, accompanied by hiking boots. Their heads were covered in scarves and woolen caps. Snow glasses covered their eyes. His eyes narrowed. They were all armed.

The one riding on her own, a medium sized slightly curvy girl removed her glasses as she stepped down her vehicle. A pair of eyes colored like freshly polished steel looked at him.

"Excuse me" her tone was serious, but her voice had a tinge of childishness in it. "Could you please tell us the way to Gloomharrow Valley?"

Matthew's eyes opened wide. "Why would you ever want to go there, Missy? This place is forgotten by everyone- and for a good reason, mind you."

"My friends are in danger and I have to reach them" she flatly replied. "Please, if you know how to, just tell me." Rubbing his chin, the man stared to the north. He didn't like what he saw.

Just a few kilometers away from the cabin, Aegis Forest in its all white and green splendor spread. Observing it from above, reaching up to the lowest clouds Everfrost Peak, the passage for Gloomharrow, stood.

And down from it, a thick, white mass of clouds slowly advanced. Judging from the colors and the sudden heavy wind in the area, it could only mean one thing.

"Look, Missy" he replied. "I will tell you, but only after this blizzard passes by." The silver pools opened wide in shock. "If there is a blizzard coming, then we must go as soon as possible!" she protested.

The man shook his head in disapproval. "Where are you guys from?" "Patch Island, Vale" she replied. "We are from Mantle" the only boy of the group said from behind her.

"That makes sense. If you were from around here, you would know not to even think brave the weather. The snowstorms of Solitas are not city fluffy snowflakes. They bring cold wind, snow and pain with them."

"We are seasoned huntsmen!" she protested. "Then you should know what you are asking for, is suicide!" he replied. "Your friends will either survive the blizzard, or die before you even reach them, simple as that."

"…" she balled her fingers into fists and Matthew tightened the grip on his axe. They stared at each other for a while, before the boy grabbed her shoulder.

"We won't help them if we die out there, Ruby" his voice was calm and soothing. "Why don't we place our trust on them? You know better than anyone how tough they are."

Ruby gulped and her shoulders sagged. "I feel like I am abandoning them, Albus" she whimpered. "Don't be" the lumberjack intervened. "What you are doing is the best for them, trust me Missy."

She hung her head in defeat and nodded "I am sorry about my previous behavior- my entire team is there and I am so worried about them."

He flashed an approving smile "don't mind it. I can more or less understand your fear. But dying out there helps nobody." He scratched his head and pointed to the garage of his cabin.

"Put your vehicles inside there and come in- it's better to be in a warm and safe place and you will be able to go out as soon as the snowstorm passes."

"We wouldn't like to impose-" "thank you very much!" Ruby cut the boy off and proceeded to parking her snowmobile in the small room below the cabin.

Alex yawned as the three of them stepped inside the well-furnished home of the lumberjack. "Your affinity for sleeping is, as always, weird" the brunette told her friend.

"You are merely jealous" she replied as she snuggled in the warm couch next to the window. "I am going to take a nap until we see what we can do."

A pair of silver eyes rolled and Ruby stared at the entrance. A few pine stalks were beautifully placed above the doorframe and the windows.

The interior was warm and cozy, made entirely of wood, fur and plants. She admired the handiwork and wished she could show her team this place. Maybe they could go together for a short trip after-

The door opened wide and the two men stepped in, carrying chopped wood for the fireplace. "Of course she would hit the couch already; my apologies for her manners, Mr. Moose" Albus groaned.

"Nah, its fine. I like people who don't put on any act." He stared at Ruby "is everything all right, Missy?" The girl, who must have unconsciously started crying, quickly wiped her eyes.

"No, everything is fine…I was, um… admiring the decoration. Those pine stalks are beautiful." He looked at the door and laughed heartily "thank you for the compliment- but they are rosemary stalks, not pines."

"Oh" Ruby blushed and looked away in embarrassment. "Now that you mentioned it" the young man pondered "I saw a few of them in the garage as well. You are really fond of it."

Matthew moved next to Alex and covered her with a blanket. The faunus smiled in her sleep and immediately tugged the blanket in her arms, leaving cute satisfied sounds.

"It's a very, very old story. Before the Great War." He stared out from the window; the cloud had covered half the forest already. The wind had subsided, but he knew it was a matter of time before it came back.

"Before Atlas lost the war, all faunus were forbidden from living in the cities. You are aware of that, right?" Ruby nodded "they worked in the mines, but lived in farms all over Solitas" she silently thanked Blake.

The man started pouring them soup "folk tales and stories were very common back then; now only a few of us remember them. They became songs and myths, but back then people truly believed them."

"_Tie the rosemary in stalks… A Grimm silently now walks…" _the brunette hummed, surprising both men. "You know that song? I am impressed, young lady."

She nodded and gave him a melancholic smile "my partner… Weiss… loves it. She has been singing it a lot lately…" "I see" he rubbed his face with a towel and licked his lips.

"It's one of the oldest and most… adult ones. It talks of a Grimm so powerful it drove every single soul away from Aegis Forest eons before the city of Mantle was even built" the man continued.

Ruby and Albus exchanged a worried glare. The huntress didn't like that. It was too… fitting for her tastes. "Do you believe that?" she reluctantly asked.

"I am not sure" the man poured them some soup "but I know that wind blows weirdly in the forest. And I am sure the harsh climate is not the only reason this place has remained untouched for so long."

The leader of team RWBY walked next to the window. Her silver eyes stared at the pine trees, now barely visible behind the barrier of wind and snow.

She licked her lips and rubbed her fingers. She only hoped that Sophia Carmel and Gray Fenris were skilled enough to keep her team safe until she kicked their ass to kingdom come.

She would laugh at the irony, if she didn't find the situation funny at all.

-o—

"Where did this wind come from?" Ilia shouted so that her companions could hear her voice above the roaring winds. "This place is as crazy as the last one we went to; and a lot colder!" Yang groaned.

She wasn't used to feel the cold and this unnatural chill annoyed her to no end. The snow cloud not-so-slowly filling the forest was another reason for her being angry.

"We have to find a place to pass the blizzard!" Blake, walking ahead of them, screamed. "And what about Weiss? She might be in danger!"

"With all due respect Yang" Ilia walked next to her "if this Grimm finds us right now, we will not reach the Ice Queen. "Except maybe in a hundred pieces of mutilated meat!" the cat girl added.

Rubbing the part where her metal joint met her flesh, the brawler tried her best to calm down. Why in the heck did they have such a streak of bad luck lately?

"I NEVER THOUGHT THAT _WEATHER_ OF ALL THINGS WOULD BE STANDING IN OUR WAY!" she fumed, trying to let her frustration out.

"Never underestimate a harsh climate" Ilia instantly replied, slightly trembling. "We must soon find a safe place or we will freeze to death. Or fall down and get eaten by Beowolves."

"I seriously doubt any Grimm hunts in such a snowstorm!" the black-haired girl objected. "Still, I do not want to ensure whether this is true or false, so let's get going."

They moved for quite some time. It was truly exhilarating; their eyes hurt from the snow while trying to stay on path. Their flesh, even below the winter outfits, was half-frozen. They were hungry and thirsty.

And every single moment, the monster from before could easily jump and kill them. They knew that, at least in that part, they had been quite lucky so far.

Blake moved forward, eyes and ears trying to notice any sort of movement- or any sort of makeshift hideout. She jumped over a large log in the middle of the road and stared forward.

A small house or, more accurately, the remains of what once was a small house, was carefully placed on a tiny natural-made platform.

A huge pine tree had grown out of it, tearing the roof apart. The well had quite a few vines and plants coming out of it as well. However, the stone walls were in relatively good condition.

She ran back and climbed the log again. As soon as she saw her friends, her ears perked in worry. Yang was carrying half-unconscious Ilia in her arms.

"What happened?" she jumped down next to them. "She felt weak and dizzy. Unlike us, she has barely slept or eaten anything" the blonde girl explained.

"I found a small house behind the fallen tree. It's in bad shape, but we could probably isolate a small room and try to warm ourselves with some fire dust."

Yang's eyes lit; she didn't show it, but she must have been pretty exhausted too, Blake thought. "Let's go. Thankfully, we can melt some snow and drink it. I am dehydrated."

It took them some time –and most of their remaining dust- to manage seal one of the smaller rooms and light up a small fire. They melt some of the snow and, ignoring the horrible taste and appearance, drank.

As usual, Blake took first guard, with Yang and Ilia snuggling next to each other to try and share body heat. "Don't get any weird ideas" the tall woman half-joked "I have an overly territorial girlfriend."

"Well" the chameleon girl, still hungry but much better than before, replied "if I were dating you, I would be overly territorial as well."

Yang narrowed her eyes and Blake rolled hers, before they all chuckled to remove the tension away. "Question; how are we going to take this thing down with only twelve dust bullets left?"

"We rest so that when it reaches us, we can run as fast as possible." Yang exhaled, much to the as-of-that-moment-napping chameleon girl's protest "I feel so ashamed; we should be able to easily kill it."

"You saw what it did Yang" her partner stared at her. "When was the last time you met a Grimm that could control _plants_?" She licked her chapped lips "you know we never have so far."

"It reminded me how much we have learned about the origin of Remnant, but how little we know about the Grimm as entities" the yellow-eyed beauty said. "We had no idea such a thing existed."

"Just like the Eldergrimm" Yang completed her partner's thoughts. "What did Ozpin tell us in one of his rare honest moments? It was about good and evil I think."

"Evil and Good are bound to coexist; you can't completely erase either of them from the world- or from the hearts of people. Weiss gave him a very good verbal beat down afterwards, didn't she?" Blake replied.

The mention of the alabaster girl made Yang's heart flutter. "You know, with all the stuff happening, I hadn't quite realized something until now" she sheepishly told her, staring at the makeshift fire.

Her partner looked at her in question. "I have no idea what to do and how will I manage to well, go on, if something happens to her, Blake."

"Nothing will happen to her, Yang. Weiss is strong-" "I know" what cut Blake off were not the words, but the tears forming in her friend's eyes.

"I know how strong she is and how prideful; I see and fall more in love with it every day. But…" she stopped for a second trying to not wake up Ilia "not everything is on our hands all the time."

The faunus lowered her gaze. She wanted to comfort Yang, but it was not that she hasn't afraid of the exact same thing. An enemy with the ability to manipulate one's mind was truly dangerous after all.

"Let's just hope Sophia Carmel has better things to do than dealing with Weiss." "And if she doesn't? If she hurts her, if she…does even worse, I will kill her, Blake. You will have to stop me if she takes my love away from me."

Blake controlled her breathing to ease her nerves. Now was not the time for a breakdown. Everyone needed her at the top of her game. However, there was one thing she had to make clear at this point.

"If she kills Weiss…" she replied coldly "if she kills my friend… _you_ will have to stop _me_ from cutting her down, Yang." Yellow and lilac locked on each other and slowly nodded in mutual understanding.


	53. Wills Pitted Against Each Other

**Hello again, everyone! Chapter 53 is here and I hope as always that you will enjoy it! **

**Thanks once more for following/ favoring/ simply reading the story! I will see you next week and I hope you are as well as possible until then! **

* * *

The snowstorm had fallen upon the area as fast but not as hard as they expected it to. Blake had swapped with Ilia a few hours ago and after a quick nap was now focused on maintaining the fire.

After making sure it was quite safe, she turned to her friend. Ilia monitored the surroundings by looking through series of wall holes. She was tugged in her uniform, occasionally blowing on her arms.

"Hey" Blake addressed her. "Do you remember when we first met Fenris?" The younger girl didn't turn her head, but replied nonetheless "yes, most of it. Why?"

Yellow eyes closed in reminiscence "back then, he was already one of the strongest members of the Fang. Despite that, he never got any important position among the group."

The chameleon girl rubbed her lips "Blake, Fenris was a lunatic. His ideals, the way he spoke… he made Adam seem soft." Gray-bluish eyes narrowed, still without looking away from their duty.

"Besides, he never spoke ill of humans; the way they treated us, or how much our ancestors had been tormented and taken advantage of didn't concern him. He thought such things were beneath him."

"Right" the black-haired beauty replied "and that cost him his popularity among his fellow faunus. Only a couple of us kept on trusting him, I think Robert and Stella were their names?"

"I think so too" Ilia replied. "But what brought this topic all of a sudden?"

The cat girl rubbed her glove-covered hands and stared at the emblem of CC in the uniform. She remembered of the man, standing next to Adam, smiling furiously.

"_You can't simply walk away like this, Gray! The Fang needs strong men like you!"_

"_I answer to no one, Taurus. Khan, Belladonna, you; you are mere mortals unworthy of my devotion." _

"_What are you talking about? Have you gone crazy?"_

"_No" the man's eyes gleamed. "I have simply found my path in the world. And I pity those who stand in its way."_

Blake sighed and looked away, her ears falling flat on top of her head. "He had visited Adam's hideout to announce he was leaving the Fang. I…wasn't supposed to be there, so he didn't notice me."

Feeling her fellow faunus' discomfort, Ilia turned to look at her and immediately asked again "what does this have to do with our situation?"

Blake nodded "since we talked to Carlo, there has been something bothering me. Like, I have missed a hint or something; I feel like there is more to this whole situation than it meets the eye."

The maroon-haired girl turned back to the wall. "My guts are telling me something is really off, Ilia" the cat girl continued. "Weiss is our top priority, but I can't help but feel that neglecting Gray is a bad idea."

"Ah, Blake" Ilia sighed. "Always the killjoy pessimist" she joked. "Like you are one to talk!" the faunus flushed from embarrassment. "Yang is such a bad influence to you!"

"Speaking of her…" Ilia said and both girls stared to the back of the makeshift room, where Yang was.

The blonde woman was sitting on her knees, legs crossed. Her hands were on her chest, palms pressed together. Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly curled in a tender smile.

She was listening to them, but didn't register anything they said. Her mind was focused elsewhere; recalling memories of a particular snow-haired girl.

_The training area was empty this late at night. Save for a pair of women currently standing in the middle, everyone else had left quite a while ago. _

"_Good…now exhale. And focus; try to empty your head of all thought." Dressed in a-very tight- training outfit, Weiss was standing in front of Yang, instructing her meditation due to Ren moving to Cypress Outpost._

_The tall blonde, also in sportswear, opened her eyes. Sweat was running down her eyebrows and forehead. She had been trying too hard to not ogle at the shapely figure right in front of her- and repeatedly failing. _

"_You broke your concentration again, Yang!" Weiss chastised her. "Can you blame me?" the brawler replied. "I can't exactly focus when we are alone and you look so hot…" she added. _

_The alabaster girl shot her a harsh glare. "Will you take things seriously? I dissed half of my paperwork to Blake, on your request to help you train! And here you are, creating perverted fantasies!" _

_Yang flinched and her shoulders sagged. Her lover did have a point- a really good one. "You are right, Snowflake. I am sorry" she immediately replied. _

_Weiss' glare got replaced by worry. "No, __**I **__am sorry. That…came out harsher than I wanted to. After all, you only complimented me…" she trailed off. _

"_Anyway, let's get back to training! Your meditation sucks! How can you be so bad at clearing your mind?" Yang smiled in a sheepish manner that reminded the ex-heiress of her partner. _

"_I just, can't stop thinking about things." Weiss raised an eyebrow "what things?" Lilac eyes averted for a while "things like Rubes…Blake… mostly you…" _

_It was the pale woman's turn to look away in embarrassment. "Then, maybe I should leave…let you focus" she said, fiddling with her hair. _

"_NO!" Yang shot forward. "The problem is not that I can't focus, baby. I just focus on the wrong thing- you" she finished coughing in her palm to hide her embarrassment. _

_Weiss coughed in her fist as well. She was thinking of a way to avoid the upcoming mess, despite how pleasant it would probably turn out to be, when an idea hit her. "What if you do exactly that?" she proposed. _

"_Ren said that meditation is the art of focusing one's mind into controlling their flow of aura. He mentioned that many people use some mental images to help them train on that aspect." _

_Lilac eyes blinked. "Are you telling me to use your image as a mental focus to assist my training?" The white-haired woman flushed burning red. "D-don't say it so casually! I just wanted to help-"_

"_I am in. Let's try it. It might prove easier this way" Yang saved her from frying her brain. "Really?" Weiss was taken aback. "Yeah; after all…"_

The brawler opened her eyes and stared at the fire in the middle of the makeshift camp. "…you are always inside my mind" she whispered.

"Hm? Did you say anything Yang?" her partner's gaze fell on her. "It's nothing of importance, Blakey. Don't worry._" _The cat girl nodded, despite realizing it was exactly the opposite.

"So, what are we going to do?" Yang jumped up "we have spent too many hours in here and the few rations we scavenged around have ended. We should get moving, even if this damn snow isn't stopping."

"I don't think it's a bad idea" Ilia said. "We have spent way too much time and exhausting our dust supplies. Yang is right; it's better to give it a shot now while we still have strength left" Blake replied.

"Besides we are still in Grimm territory. We don't know when-" a loud, cacophonous choir of screeches cut her off. The skittering sound of thin blades followed soon.

"Is that…" Yang's eyes opened wide. "Yes" the cat girl replied, grabbing her rifle. "Please, don't comment on the irony" she stood up. "My lips are sealed" Yang focused.

"I hope our fates aren't" Ilia commented, taking out her whip.

-o—

Weiss' eye opened. She tried hard to not let it- the dream was so beautiful. She would never forget all the days and nights she had spent training with Yang, laughing at the way they tiptoed around each other.

Her face dropped. _Not that I have many days left, so that statement is kind of invalid._ "Hey Weiss; are you ok?" she turned around and looked at Kendrick, still bound on the pipe.

"Is this some sort of joke?" she lashed out, but immediately stopped. "Sorry, I am a little off…" The man's eyes narrowed "yeah, I noticed. You were pretty bitter with Carmel before; not that I blame you."

"It was mostly unbecoming of me, yes." "But it felt pretty good, didn't it?" He gave a small smile and Weiss instantly felt her lips curl upwards.

"It did" she merely replied "this woman took my beloved ones from me. She crashed my pride, too. I- I don't want to be myself when dealing with her; she doesn't deserve anything more than my worst."

"So, you are merely diverting your pain at her" he commented. "Possibly" the reply came instantly. He closed his eyes and licked his parched lips "well, it's not that I am one to talk about lashing out, being a member of a terrorist group."

Weiss nodded "speaking of that" she said a little reluctantly "you seem a very decent person, Kendrick. How did you find yourself part of a psychopath's company?"

The green-skinned man stared at her. "You really want to know?" She nodded again. "I and my good friend Carlo grew up in Mantle. We had quite the difficult childhood as one might guess for a pair of orphans."

Her face immediately dropped. She knew what he meant. She had seen the situation in the faunus district too many times during her previous stay in Atlas, after all.

"When Sienna's White Fang started operations in Solitas, we were among the first to join. We were young and passionate. We really, really thought we could change things for the better."

He rubbed his eyes on his shoulder. "Most of all, we believed in Sienna Khan. The woman was no saint, I know, but she was dedicated and truly believed in her cause- we revered her."

"And then she was murdered- by Taurus" Weiss commented. "I never felt as ashamed as I did when we discovered she had fallen to one of our own."

"And you felt like you had nothing left. Adam took your comrades and friends away… fed them to his own blind vengeance" she added.

"Heh. You are absolutely right. We were lost- desperate for a savior." She closed her eye to try and fight the throbbing in her head "an easy prey for a hungry wolf."

"Exactly" he approved. "We thought we were doing a difference again. We were successful and feared. We were idiots who were being used. Carlo noticed that before me; he always was the cautious one."

"I remember he is the one who contacted Blake and Ilia. Where is he now?" she asked. If Carlo was such a good friend to Kendrick, then maybe-

"He is the one whose butchered remains were used to summon the monster that killed everyone but me and my team" the komodo faunus cut her off.

"I am so sorry…" her face dropped again in sorrow. It seemed that Sophia Carmel was not the only cruel monster in this area.

"You are so kind, Weiss…" he solemnly stated. "If we had met three years ago, I would have probably tried to slit your throat and drag your corpse to the headquarters."

"If we had met five years ago, I would have surely tried to stomp on your neck with my heels" she replied. "So, it's more me being reasonable than kind."

They looked at each other and exchanged a quick smile. "Thank you- I really mean that. It makes me think that my plan may be worth a try after all" his voice, slightly lower, told her.

"What plan?" she narrowed her eyes. "I intend to break free. I will not let this woman decide my fate. And I will not let Fenris get away with killing my friend."

"You…" "Are you with me, Weiss?" Her gaze became hard. Her face distorted, as if she had been stung. "Why?" she asked, almost reflexively.

"What do you mean 'why'? Why would you ever want to stay here?" She gulped. Her throat was suddenly dry and her lips felt harsh. "What reason do I have to even try?"

He stared at her in confusion. "I am a living corpse, Kendrick. Yang and Blake are dead; Ruby is probably dead as well. I have lost my eye and can't stay calm enough to even summon- I am useless in a fight!"

She gritted her teeth "my dreams are gone. My friends- my family- have been taken away from me. My hands are tainted with murder! What the heck am I supposed to want to get away for?"

Kendrick didn't even have time to reply. "The only thing I am willing to do is wait till I can kick that witch's head hard enough till it rolls off her shoulders! That's how kind of a person I truly am!"

The faunus stared at the ex-heiress. Her eye was glistering with tears and her face was bright red in anger. Her chest was moving back and forth. She must have been piling those feelings for quite a while.

"As a criminal myself, I cannot tell you what is right and what is wrong" he said after a few moments of tense silence. "But I know one thing; no matter how hard things are, you can always find something to live for, Weiss."

"I-" "Self-sacrifice might sound appealing when you are as sad and angry as you are now. But it shall be the end of Weiss Schnee. Period."

"Weiss Schnee has already ended!" she protested. "No; she is talking with me right now. She has lost many things, yes, but she is still alive and breathing. Giving up will not help her accomplish anything."

Her mind stopped. Weiss tried to protest. She tried to reply; talk back to that stupid criminal who talked like he knew her. He knew nothing. He had met her yesterday! How could he understand what she felt?

_However…_ she closed her eye and gulped audibly "right now, you sounded like my sister. This is exactly what she would say under these circumstances."

"I will take that as a compliment" he replied. "In all seriousness, however, I mean what I say. Weiss Schnee may be dead, or just withered. But _Weiss_ is here. And giving up is not her strong suit, if what I saw yesterday is any indication."

She bit her lip. Kendrick knew she agreed with him, but he also realized how prideful and hurt the girl was. "Weiss" he slowly said, grabbing her attention.

"I need your help to escape. I can't do it on my own. And you are better with me than staying here, no matter what you think or desire at this moment."

The woman looked at him again, her gaze more focused than before. She then closed her eye and consented "I guess I can't disagree with that. What's the plan you have in mind?"

-ο—

Inside Moose's house, the situation was serene. Alex was still sleeping on the couch, while Albus and Matthew were playing cards.

Not in the mood to accompany them, Ruby had just finished skimming though yesterday's mails. For some reason, after they had reached the area, their signal had nearly vanished.

Thus, she had received quite a huge amount of mails earlier when she managed to find a couple lines just before the storm had hit the house.

Most of them were from her fan club, in which she would reply with a huge apology after she had finished saving her friends. Among them, however, there were three particularly interesting.

_Dr. Oobleck _

_Miss Rose, in contrary to Miss Belladonna's belief, Octavios Red's book appears to be far more than a simple anatomy manual. However, I cannot truly divulge any sort of information before we manage to perform an accurate translation, which will…_

A series of Dr. Oobleck's rambling about the book's value and potential quality followed after and Ruby skipped it. She would have Blake deal with the details as soon as they get back.

_Velvet_

_As I told you yesterday, save for a slight insomnia and low appetite, there seem to be no issues with Jaune. He is exhausted and frustrated, but I can't blame him. We have spent three nights in a row staking out the Cemetery without any success. So, be a good girlfriend and give your concerns some rest, for both your sake. _

She thought a lot about how her new demeanor resembled Coco way too much, but Ruby knew better to mention her former teammates to the bunny girl. She merely thanked her for taking care of Jaune instead.

The final one was from the SHU laboratory and was talking about the substance they had found in Grimmwater. Since Weiss was out of reach, they had orders to try and contact her instead.

_White Coat Guys _

_The analysis of the liquid is not going smoothly, I am afraid, Ms. Rose. There are quite a few weird substances inside and require our utmost care, as to not damage the sample with random attempts. The only thing we have managed to establish so far is that it seems to be some sort of blood-like artificial substance. However, keep in mind that further analysis may need additional samples which are…_

This one went up to the EOL archive along with the message from Oobleck. Ruby was seriously frustrated. She wanted to go out and take down any monster threatening her team, not-

A high-pitch screech snapped her into action. The sound was akin to a series of broken sirens trying to communicate with each other.

For any person who had experienced the cleanup of Thornwood Massacre, this sound was a fearsome and much unwanted memory. Same applied to the skittering blades that followed it.

"Are these Arachneas?" Albus had already gotten up and picked his staff. "Stay next to me, Mr. Moose" he said, earning an affirmative nod.

"Possibly" Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and quickly moved next to Alex, who had already heard the sound and was now watching out of the window.

"Can you see anything?" "My eyesight is not the best, despite night vision" the woman replied. "And this snowstorm makes it harder to see..."

A small, thin, bladed spider leg slammed on the window, causing both huntresses to jump away in a surprised scream. A few more joined, leaving small scratches on the glass.

Three large spiders appeared behind the panel. They had shining black skin that formed edges and peaks like made of crystal. Their heads were covered by a small skull-white fanged mask.

Their hungry red eyes looked at the people inside the house as the sound of hundreds of legs climbing on top of wood filled the small cabin.

"I hate those things!" Alex stared at the hateful monsters. "Go upstairs!" Ruby screamed. "Do you remember Thornwood? They attack from above, trying to spin their webs on top of us!"

As the other two huntsmen rushed up, Ruby walked back next to the poor owner of the cabin. "I don't understand; Arachneas have never left Aegis before! They hunt only around their nest!"

Silver eyes opened wide as the girl's mouth hung open. "Nest? You mean there is a Broodmother here?" He nodded. "She lives very deep into the woods- close to the abandoned altar. Never did she bother me or my parents."

"Mr. Moose" Ruby unfurled her scythe. "We will take those things down. And then you are telling us everything you know about this forest" she finished, as the door creaked and slowly gave in.


	54. Under the Cover of Snow

**Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you are as well as you can possibly be! **

**Chapter 54 is here. As always, I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thanks again for keeping up with the story, either by following, favoring or simply reading it; you are all awesome. **

**See you next week and until then, be well! **

* * *

"Hi-yah!" a quick sweep from Crescent Rose sliced the first few spiders that burst in from the door. The small Grimm were not strong, or tough. Their only advantage was their immense numbers.

_And their agility._ Ruby groaned as six more swarmed from the opening. Quickly spinning her scythe in a wide arc, she performed a series of horizontal slices.

All six of them evaporated, leaving space for more Arachneas. The huntress sidestepped quickly and cut them down, petals accompanying her movement.

Matthew ran backwards for his gun. He knew the situation was bad; despite never having faced them, every denizen of Solitas was aware of the swarming predators of the frozen wastes.

They were vicious and numerous, able to devour any single being they identified as their prey. They were as efficient as deadly. They were being completely slaughtered.

He had just pulled the gun out, when he found his mind transfixed on the scene before him. Ruby was dancing around the invading horde, using the door to her advantage.

Her oversized scythe whirled, leaving trails of rose petals behind it, as it annihilated as many of them as possible with each movement. Her boots skipped back and forth, prioritizing the ones who tried to climb the walls.

_Who the hell is that girl? _Snapping out of his trance, he started shooting down those who tried to climb the doorframe.

Released from that particular duty, the girl started pushing forward. The fact her enemies were nearly mindless gave her a distinct advantage as they kept rushing through the narrow opening to their death.

Worst part of it; deep inside her heart she was enjoying this. She needed a chance to blow off some steam the old-fashioned way and lately her enemies had been way too devious for her tastes.

Then, the sound of glass shattering from their left made her realize she was being way too childish about it. "Cover me!" the man kept shooting as she vanished inside a cloud of petals.

Before even fully manifesting, she had already cleaved down the ones that had entered through the window. Performing an aggressive series of attacks, Ruby quickly pushed them back. Then, she activated her semblance.

She burst out from the open window, taking every single Arachnea with her. She stopped down in the front porch, among a horde of seemingly endless spider Grimm.

Before her enemies managed to register her appearance, she had already armed an ice cartridge. She burst back and then shot towards the empty window as soon as she landed in the room.

Ruby didn't even spend a second to see the opening getting filled. She turned and used a couple more shots to seal the front door as well.

The sound of the empty case falling to the ground disrupted the skittering. Matthew raised his weapon and started shooting the ones who had passed through him and climbed up to the ceiling.

There were quite a few of them, however. Ruby's eyes opened wide as she looked at the small predators' mouths and saw the familiar thin, semi-transparent strings coming out of them.

She pushed herself to her limit. Petals scattered around the room, as a crescent tornado of steel swirled around, decapitating every single arachnoid. The few strings they had produced fell down to the floor.

"Don't touch them" she instructed as she landed next to the man. "They are highly poisonous; like a sleeping drug." The man chuckled "I know that; wasn't intending to."

The sound of skittering and thrusting continued, as the countless little bodies, barely visible behind the layer of frost, were trying the walls and cold barriers.

"They will probably not be able to get in" she told the man, as she swiftly changed cartridges again "but shout the moment you see the ice cracking." Without waiting for a confirmation, Ruby ran upstairs.

_**A few minutes earlier…**_

Alex and Albus had just stepped into the attic when the window crashed and three small spiders crawled inside the opening. They quickly climbed up, trying to reach the ceiling.

Three quick shots from the albino woman's silver handgun disposed the critters quite quickly. There was no time to dwell on the success however, as many more started swarming through the broken glass.

"Go Melee!" Albus commanded with fervor. The crystal on the tip of his white-blue staff glowed green, as the implemented wind dust got unleashed.

A strong gust hit the opening, preventing any more Arachneas to come in. Those already inside, instantly changed direction and moved to intercept the boy halting their brethren's advance.

With a slightly awkward motion, Alex flipped her gun into a double-sided hand axe. She also flicked her left wrist, releasing a concealed pair of barrels from her silver bracer. She then started humming softly.

"Hi-yah~" whirling her axe, she split the one closest to the boy in half. A few tiny shots evaporated a couple more. Three of them ran to Albus' back, ready to spit their poisonous webs.

"Nah~" she hummed "I can see you~" in a pretty unorthodox way, she jumped behind her boyfriend and cleaved them without even bothering to look at her targets.

"Five to go~" she shot two more in the head. "Three~. Keep the air current going, will you~" she joked while hunting the rest, who had taken advantage of her easygoing manner to leave through the door-

A burst of petals entered the room, Crescent Rose having slaughtered the enemies before Ruby's boots touched the ground. "And that's zero remaining" the bat-girl gave a toothy grin.

The brunette didn't reply to the faunus' antics. She only nodded to the boy, shifting her scythe to rifle mode. Albus deactivated his weapon and almost instantaneously Ruby shot her ice dust, sealing the breach.

No words were exchanged. The red-clad reaper stormed down again to make sure Mr. Moose hadn't encountered any issues.

The boy sat down, eyes trailing all over the room, trying to notice if the creatures could find an opening to get inside again. "Good job" he simply said, checking his weapon.

"Thanks; you were awesome as usual" she pecked his lips and sat down, pressing her back to his, to cover the rest of the room.

The sounds of legs covering the exterior of the house filled their ears, but a few minutes passed without any indication of the Arachneas getting in.

"Everything ok up there!?" Ruby's chipper voice sounded from below. "Yes. How are you doing?" Albus shouted back. "We are fine. Just a little creeped out; stay in place until they leave!"

"Roger!" the man replied again, without getting up. Alex leaned her head backwards and he mimicked it, gently bumping them. "This could be actually kind of romantic, if the spiders were not present."

"Yeah" he softly replied, reaching out to her hand and intertwining their fingers. "You know; I am really worried about them now. This place seems to be as bad as we expected it to."

"Well, you know me" she exclaimed. "Yeah. Right now you are thinking unrealistic but happy thoughts. Care to share?" he tenderly asked.

"Well…" her voice trailed off, before replying. "Let's just say I am fantasizing of them inside a cabin, drinking warm cocoa and laughing at us freaking out over them."

-o—

"I hate this place!" Ilia screamed, whipping her closest spider. "I hate this weather!" she took down another one. "And above all, I _fiercely _hate those things!"

Blake and Yang stood next to the groaning girl, in front of the ruined house. Around them, the otherwise white terrain was filled in small black crawling terrors.

The storm still prevailed, but it didn't seem to deter the Grimm. It only made their hunt easier; the strong wind interrupted the huntresses' vision and the falling snow chilled them, slowing their responses.

"Remember what happened in Mantle back then?" Blake screamed to Yang. "Yes; we need to go higher, or those things will come from above us!" the fiery blonde replied.

Ilia didn't need any explanation. She jumped backwards on top of a large piece of stone. Immediately as she landed, she used her whip to shock a few Arachneas that squirmed after her.

For Blake, escape was even easier. A couple blinks brought her on top of the collapsed roof, next to the trunk of a very large tree. "We have to keep moving; climb the tree before they do!" she shouted.

Yang threw another pile of rubble on the advancing horde. In terms of affinity she was in her weakest against them; too many targets to hit and too many attacks to deflect.

She was worried what would happen if those things caught up to them _while_ climbing the tree, but it was not that she had a better idea- or time to come up with one.

She ran to the ruins, hoping none would try spit on her back; her aura was still standing, but their poison stung like hell. The sounds of them skittering after her comforted the blonde for a while.

Yang pressed hard on the ground and gave one mighty jump. She landed next to Blake, shaking the remains of the roof. "Careful, will you please?" Ilia glared at her menacingly.

Yang didn't mind of course. Part because she knew how uptight the chameleon girl could be under stress and part because of the Arachneas now climbing the walls and piles of rock to reach them.

"Go!" Blake shouted, as she and Ilia started shooting and whipping the closest ones. The brawler jumped up and grabbed a thick branch, easily positioning herself on top.

"Ilia!" the cat faunus' worried voice made the maroon-headed girl retract her weapon. She jumped upwards and grabbed Yang's protruding hand.

The huntress picked Ilia up and helped her climb even higher on the tree. "Blakey!" she reached out to her partner. "Coming-AGH!"

From the nearby trees and despite the heavy wind, a series of silver strings shot at Blake. Only by instinct, the girl managed to block them with her gun, but immediately felt the webs pulling it away from her.

Simultaneously, the spiders reached the edge of the roof, eager to overwhelm and devour her in their frenzied mania. She tried to pull it off, but to no avail.

Horror filled her very being; she felt trapped. She would die here, getting eaten alive. Thousands of skittering teeth and hungry red eyes would be the last-

"BLAKE!" Ilia screamed in horror and tried to move towards her friend. "ARE YOU CRAZY, KITTEN? JUST LET GO OF THE FUCKING GUN!"

At the last moment, the cat-girl snapped out of her lapse. She immediately let go of her weapon and blinked next to her partner, seeing the cold piece of metal getting dragged away to the swarm.

Her friends exhaled in relief, but she immediately got up and jumped to a higher branch. "We have to get moving! It's a matter of seconds before they reach us here! Let's jump from tree to tree and escape!"

There was not even time for contemplation; Ilia and Yang followed her, mustering every muscle of their body to jump from branch to branch.

It was easier said than done; there were not many branches that could fully and easily support their weight. Even the largest ones were covered in snow and ice, making them slippery and easy to miss.

On top of that, the snow and cold wind slapped their faces, making their movement even harder. Not to mention the hungry predators climbing the trees and running on the ground after them.

In spite of all these, however, they managed to escape. After they created enough distance from the horde, the three girls jumped down and started running away.

"Do we know where we are going!?" Ilia screamed to Blake, who was leading them. "Far away from these!" Yang replied instead. "What about-"

"Trust me, no one hates this more than me!" the tall woman cut the faunus off. "But we are not going to save Weiss if we die here!" she added.

"Less talking, more running!" Blake, panting and gasping, shouted from ahead. "We have to leave them behind us as much as possible!"

Once again, there was no reply from the girls. Ilia lowered her head and ran forward to catch up with her fellow faunus. Yang, on the other hand, balled her fists and gritted her teeth.

_Snowpuff, my beautiful Ice Queen; please wait a little longer! I will find you, no matter what! _

-o—

_It was a snowy day, like most days in Atlas. Her mother's funeral ceremony had just ended. All the well-wishers and pretenders who simply wanted to know what she was planning to do with the company were gone as well. _

_Dressed in fine black, Sophia stood over Isabella Honey's grave. Kind words, beautiful flowers and tokens of appreciation from her admirers were laid all over the sculpted marble that covered the model's coffin. _

_She was crying. That she was sure of, but she hadn't yet decided if they were tears of sadness or anger. She only knew one thing. Her mother was not worthy of such kindness; daddy had less than half her farewell gifts. _

_Then again, her father had less than half her mother's 'friends' and acquaintances. _

"_Ms. Sophia Carmel?" the mellow voice belonged to a tall man with brown eyes and puffed red cheeks. He wore a black suit that seemed as comical on him as his attempt to comb his messy brown beard. _

"_Who are you?" she replied, rather rudely. She didn't want to spend even one moment on another flatterer who didn't know anything- _

"_My condolences" the man replied with a curt nod. "I am Bistre Woodrock; a close colleague of your mother." Her eyes narrowed and she turned to stare at him. "You mean one of her lovers." _

_His eyes opened, even so slightly "heavens, not even by chance! I consider myself above such things." Her almond-shaped irises narrowed. _

"_Besides, what nerve would anyone have to attend the funeral of their illegal spouse, who happens to be a married mother?" he continued. "Our relationship was purely one of camaraderie, I ensure you." _

"_That makes sense. However, you knew her well enough to not be fazed by the mention of her lovers. As if you were already aware of it" Sophia flatly announced. _

_Bistre solemnly nodded. "You are as smart as she-" "Do not even think relating me to that whore. I don't know what you knew of this woman, but even mentioning I share her traits makes my blood boil."_

"_That's quite the acceptable request, all things considered" Bistre consented without any protests. "Let me get straight to the point, then. Your mother's death was quite unexpected, as you may know." _

_She didn't reply. Her gaze merely hardened on the man. "She was tasked from us with a very important mission, Ms. Carmel. That mission now has been stalled due to this unforeseen accident." _

_She blinked; the man was truly implying something, but… "If you want to talk, then by all means do so. But please, stop beating around the bush, Mr. Woodrock; it offends my intellect." _

_He didn't even flinch to the blatant offence; instead, he allowed a small grin to grace his features. "What if I told you that I can offer you your mother's place in my team, Ms. Carmel?" _

_Sophia raised an eyebrow "I would ask you; why should I even accept it?" He kept grinning "because through it, I can grant you knowledge and power to seize even your wildest dreams, my dear child." _

Sophia opened her eyes. Wenge's back the first thing that came in view. He was talking to a couple guards; quite passionately by the looks of it.

Quickly, she got on her feet. The man turned around, feeling her movement. "Did you sleep well Madam?" he asked. She checked her watch- she had been sleeping for more than an hour.

"What's the matter?" she ignored his question. The two guards stared at her in hesitation, making her eyes narrow. "The technicians haven't returned yet" Wenge finally said.

_What? _"Has the antenna been diverted to my laptop, as I asked?" The dark-skinned man shook his head "no, Madam." Her headache returned- along with a sense of looming dread.

"Deal with it" she merely said. "I can trust you with that, can't I?" Wenge's face hardened with determination "of course, Ms. Carmel." He turned to the guards "you two are coming with me" he announced and then led them outside.

He had been expecting it. The moment his men had assured him the technicians were not slacking around in a secured place, Wenge was almost certain they were dead.

The blizzard had fallen hard on the facility and even if nothing had attacked them, they had been frozen to death. That was exactly what he had been expecting to see- a pair of frozen corpses.

But the truth was much more gruesome. As he stood with the two guards on top of the antenna tower, the cold wind slowly sapping his body heat away and the snow obscuring his vision, he felt like he was dreaming. Or having a nightmare.

Because there was no other way to describe the horribly slaughtered remains they were staring at inside the frozen pools of red blood. It could be nothing but a nightmare.

"Did the terrorists get them?!" one of the guards shouted to be heard over the howling wind. "Don't be an idiot!" Wenge shouted back. "Unless they have wild beasts with them, this is Grimm work!"

"But we would have seen anything that stepped inside the facility! We were patrolling up until a few minutes ago!" the other one replied.

"We will discuss this inside!" the head of security declared. "But I am not going to-" **"OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

The scream pierced their bodies even more than the chilling cold. It was horrible and filled in malice; the likes of which only those who delved the deepest parts of the world had ever come across.

And then, a surge of snow followed. Ignoring every single fundamental law of nature, a giant avalanche swarmed out of the woods, following a straight path towards the buildings.

"Get in the warehouse!" At Wenge's command, all three of them ran down the tower towards the small isolated building, nearly jumping the stairs.

They barely managed to seal the door behind them before the wave hit the facility. Everyone inside the buildings felt the intense shaking, as lights momentarily went off.

Inside the communications room, Sophia had just got up from the floor when two of her men stepped in. "Madam are you-" "Check the prisoners. Now!"

She unzipped her pistol, following her guards to the makeshift prison… with the open door and the two guards knocked unconscious! _No…NOOOO!_

She slammed inside, only to meet an empty room. Both Kendrick and Schnee had escaped. How? It didn't matter. What mattered was that they did.

She turned around, fuming in anger. "Get those two IMBECILES up! We have to find them!" She picked her radio- **"OOOOOOOO!"** the sound echoed through the entire facility once more.

The tall, stag-headed Grimm with the pitch-black eyes walked past the main gate. Beowolves the color of pure snow carefully walked around it, slowly advancing inside the snow-covered front yard.

Night would soon fall in the forest. And its King intended to make sure no mortal would live to see it through.


	55. The King Attacks

**Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you are as fine as possible! **

**Chapter 55 is here; I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thanks again ( I will probably never stop thanking you) for following/ favoring/ reading the story. You are all the best! **

**See you all next week! **

* * *

Weiss' eye throbbed and her hands were shaky in pain, but she kept crawling. The ventilation system might had been freezing cold and filled in bloodstains, courtesy of the Valkraghast, but so far this was the only issue they had encountered following Kendrick's plan.

In all honesty, the komodo faunus had pleasantly surprised her so far. His plan was well-organized, making use of the few things Weiss had told him about the Grimm using the airways.

His semblance of cancelling noise not only allowed them to cut their ropes without raising suspicion; it also let them take the guard down quite easily.

Speaking of that, it was the man's idea as well. Carmel would think they ran away, instead of searching in the vents. They would reach the roof and then down in the woods.

Kendrick had also been chivalrous enough to go first as to not look her private places and had his tail tugged to not hit her in the face.

All things considered, he reminded her of Jaune way too much. The fact this man was a criminal once spoke volumes about how wrong some things in Remnant still were.

He was trying his best to do what he could, even after losing all he had as well. He was truly remarkable. Weiss' head hung. This world was filled in strong people; much more than her.

_How pathetic I am…_ she let her thoughts overwhelm her. _For a moment, inside there, I really thought of dying to take Sophia down, didn't I? How stupid, reckless… how utterly foolish._

A few more meters remained until they reached the top_. 'I refuse to let those people do what they want with me. And I will have them pay for their crimes!'_ Kendrick's statement still echoed in her mind.

They stopped, still coated in silence. The man checked on her, nodded and started trying to pry the shaft hatch open.

_I was thinking the same things not so long ago… what happened to me? _She grabbed her still throbbing left eye. _Was it truly you?_ She gritted her teeth, happy the man from above couldn't hear her.

_Am I so weak, that I let your loss affect me that much?_ _YOU ARE A FREAKING EYE! I LOST THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! I LOST MY FRIEND! AND THE LAST DAYS I SPENT WITH THEM WAS BROODING OVER YOU!_

_I EVEN HAD THE CHANCE TO REPLACE YOU! WHY? WHY AM I BEING SUCH A FOOL? WHY AM I?_ The light that poured from above as Kendrick opened the hatch and cut off her thoughts.

The brown haired man gave her his arm and pulled Weiss up. He shut the hatch and immediately deactivated his semblance. "That went well" he exclaimed.

She turned around to thank him, but her eye fell on something else at once. More specifically, it fell upon the mass of snow covering the area below them and the advancing Grimm Horde.

"I wouldn't say that so half-heartedly" she commented the exact moment the faunus' gaze followed hers. "What is that thing?" he asked, staring at the towering, stag-headed monster.

Weiss was still holding her breath. This thing was…wrong. Her eye throbbed and she fell on her knees. _Why… why is this thing here? _

_Dead wind whispers in the trees, spirit of ancient spite it brings…_

_Darkness hides but you may not, leave all you have ever been taught…_

_Dead wind chimes with ice and cold, stag-shaped skulls dark eyes hold… _

_Impossible….no way this is happening! _She started hyperventilating. This thing was wrong. Yet, so familiar! Why was the monster of the nursery rhyme standing before her?

The creature's bony head turned towards them and Kendrick tackled her down in an attempt to hide. "Please, Weiss. Your frustration will act as a beacon for this thing; don't kill us now."

She gulped, forcing her sore throat to cope. Once more, the man was being both reasonable and practical. "Sorry" she exhaled deeply to contain her pain. _Come on, Schnee. You are better than this!_

They carefully peeked over the edge. The thing had turned away from them, towards the huge warehouse. It raised its arms- _and snow started whirling around it!_

From the cold sphere, more white Beowolves emerged. A disgusting mimicking of Winter's summoning, Weiss thought. The creature moved, engulfing the warehouse in the freezing aura.

The door immediately started giving in. The sound of metal crashing and shattering filled the area, as the large metal sheets collapsed under the abnormal frost.

"AAAAAAAAAA!" human cries echoed from inside, followed by the newly summoned monsters rushing inside. Then, the sound of gunfire followed them.

Without even paying them any attention, the Grimm turned away and moved towards the main entrance of the facility.

-o-

Wenge was the only one who didn't scream when the door gave in. He also was the first one to pick his weapon when the Beowolves came charging on them.

He shot down two, before they even got closer. His companions shot quite a few of them, while climbing up the inside ladder. "Move faster!" he screamed as they retreated, while still shooting.

The man closer to him nodded while stepping up faster. The other guard did a fatal mistake; he turned around and tried to run.

One of the wolves pounced on his back, throwing him down. Wenge blew its head. But the rest of the pack was fast. "WAI- NO! NOOOO!"

His screams were cut short, as three of them fell upon him and quickly ended his life. Wenge and the final guard ran faster to the end of the ladder, in an attempt to breach the window.

The tanned man reached to the narrow space and pulled the window open. "Come quickly! We have to move!" The other man agreed, as he emptied his clip on the closest ones.

None of them noticed the two Grimm that had climbed from beneath the ladder towards them. The guard got attacked and pushed the Grimm back with the handle. But the wolf was smart.

It opened its jaws and grabbed the weapon, dragging the poor fellow back and tossing him down the ladder. "AAAH! NO! PLEASE! NOOOO-" he screamed as the pack feasted on his still living body.

Wenge started climbing through the opening, the voices of the dying man filling his ears. The other wolf grabbed his leg and pulled him back. "NO! NO DAMN IT!" he tried to escape, but the Grimm was too strong-

Kendrick rushed forward and slammed the wolf's hand, forcing it to release him. The man jumped out and Weiss immediately closed the window behind him, sealing it with a thin layer of ice dust she had grabbed from the guards inside.

They helped him on his feet and Kendrick took the gun off his hands. Then, they ran on the rooftops, away from the hellish warehouse. "Where are we going?" he screamed. "Ms. Sophia is-"

"We know" Kendrick cut him off. "And we are stupid enough to go back and try rescue her along with anyone else we can" Weiss shot the man a deadly glare, making him shut his mouth in shock.

-o—

The Blood Moon Company's camp was positioned deep in the woods, on a convenient pathway. The tunnels starting behind it allowed a quick access to Gloomharrow valley, while the tree-covered slope gave them a distinct advantage in case of an ambush.

As the hundreds or Arachnea made their hundredth circle around the barrier Fenris had erected, Stella Taupe was relieved that her leader didn't only rely on physical defenses to protect their hideout.

"Persistent little bastards" finishing some alcohol, Robert Ink stood watch next to the owl girl. "When will they realize they can't penetrate the magical circle Gray created?"

"When people are always proving themselves to be stupid, how can you expect Grimm to act any better?" Stella asked him, lowering her sunglasses to reveal large, oval grey eyes.

"Dunno. It's just that all that waiting is tiring me. Why did Gray take the idiot trio with him and left us behind, I still wonder" he wiped his drenched tusks.

"Because those three are stupid to the point they may accidentally break the barrier" the taupe-colored woman seriously answered. "He doesn't want their help- he wants to keep an eye on them."

The warthog faunus snorted. "At least, those morons are good hunters- I will give them that. They can smell their prey a continent away."

"Exactly" Stella grinned. "Assuming it wasn't Simon's fault, I would hate to be in Carmel's expensive shoes right now." Her grin deepened "I only hope he brings her to us alive" she licked her lips.

Deeper inside the forest, the hooded figure of Gray Fenris hastily strode towards the meeting point, accompanied by Baz, Sen and Ed.

Arachneas crawled around them, but for some reason didn't even try to bother the four faunus. As long as they moved too close to them, they would get pushed away and ran, as if they were electrocuted.

"Hehehehe…" Baz cackled. "That power of yours is so good, Boss. Teach us!" Sen and Ed groaned. Fenris grabbed his Ursa-head talisman "faith is something you inspire, not teach, you fool."

"…" Baz rearranged the humongous Gatling gun he was holding on his back. "We are getting closer" Sen sniffed, drawing her blade. "Yeah- I can smell blood" Ed licked his lips and drew his kukri.

The place was seriously messed up. Blood, empty casings and torn pieces of flesh and bone were spread all over the place. The two CC vehicles were reduced to mere scraps of metal.

"I think this was Simon" Sen sniffed a mass of gnawed, frozen flesh. "Did the Arachneas get them?" Fenris stared around before replying. "Most unlikely- the spiders are far more subtle in slaying their prey."

The wolf faunus rubbed his chin under his cowl. _Did the Morkvind start hunting so soon? That's really unexpected… maybe I was too impatient after all. _

He moved towards the other car and checked the barrels. Droplets of frozen water filled the interior. One of them was severely beat from the outside.

_Looks like Carmel had no intention of sharing the precious substance_ he thought. His mouth slightly curved upwards. _It's a good thing I only needed it as a pretense to drag her here, to begin with_.

"Hey Boss!" Ed got out of the armored vehicle's remains. In his hand he was holding a pair of really fashionable dresses. They were filled in dried blood, but otherwise seemed in a rather good condition.

Gray turned at Sen who took them and started sniffing the fabric. Her semblance was as feral as the hyena girl was; she could identify smells in ways nearly impossible for any other faunus or human.

"A human and a faunus" she told her leader. "The human dress also reeks of machine oil and lavender" she scrunched her nose. "The faunus has a distinct, feline aroma. It reminds me of that lion-"

"Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long" Gray announced, making the siblings' heads turn towards him. "Carlo really brought them to us."

"Hehehehe… the filthy traitor is here? Let me chop her down!" Sen grinned like a maniac. "Yeah, Gray. Let us take care of them!" Baz hissed, pumping his shoulder plate where the gun rested on.

He rubbed his chin. "Ed; use your semblance." The man grinned widely and let out a merry laughter. He tore a piece of fabric from Yang's dress and chewed it down, activating his semblance.

The male hyena's skill was even more primal than his sister's. Devouring something that belonged to an individual allowed the faunus to locate that person if they were within a huge range.

"Hehehehehe… found her!" he licked his lips. "She is moving towards the place you forbade us to visit, Boss!" Under his cowl, Gray laughed. "Let's pay her a visit, then. Get moving."

-o—

"This place looks familiar" Blake announced. "This path does too" Ilia replied looking towards the other side. "And those trees on our left look like we have seen them before" Yang added.

All three girls exchanged stares. "We are lost, aren't we?" the blonde woman finally asked. "Seems like it" the chameleon girl rubbed her face to warm her skin a little.

"Perfect… just perfect…" Blake tried to focus. Her eyes were tired. Everything around her seemed familiar- and that really annoyed her.

Ilia stared upwards. "If we could only see the sky- we could use it to navigate somehow." "It would require the removal of trees and snow clouds for us to do that" Yang replied.

"Being sarcastic isn't helpful" she jabbed. "It's not that daydreaming helps us more anyway; at this point it's the same as panicking" Yang rolled her eyes.

Ilia pouted, but acknowledged the blonde's argument. Now was the time for action, not philosophy. "It all comes to luck, doesn't it" the chameleon faunus finally said.

"Maybe not" both girls' attention turned to Blake who was currently kneeling on the snow, her right cheek softly pressed on the cold blanket.

"Did you find something, Blakey?" Yang asked, hope evident in her voice. "Well, if I am not mistaken, the ground seems to be a little uphill going this way" she pointed towards their left.

"I see…not" Yang merely commented, earning an eye roll from Ilia. "What she means is that unless you remember us going downhill, we have never passed through that path. Isn't that right, Blake?"

The cat girl stood up, brushing snow off her face. "Exactly. I think it's our best bet right now. If we are lucky enough, we may even find a vantage point over there" she proposed.

"That's good enough for me" the brawler agreed and all three of them started walking towards the indicated path.

They hadn't quite grasped how much time had passed when the scenery around them gradually started to change. Blake was the first one to notice.

The trees were thicker, with swirling trunks. Many snow-covered bushes covered the ground. A thin veil seemed to cover all vegetation, as if a see-through curtain had been erected above the plants.

The worst part was the sense of looming dread that filled the place. Even Yang who lacked the superior senses of a faunus felt uneasy; like she was constantly being watched.

"I am not sure this is the right path, Blakey" Yang whispered. She was confused why, but she felt the urge to be as low-key as possible. "Yeah, I think so too. But at this point going back may do things even worse."

"I agree" Ilia commented. "When lost, you have to follow- hm? What is this?" As she voiced her question, a large object came in view- a tall, grey monolith in the middle of their path.

It was considerably tall, easily reaching up to 4-5 meters. It was made of stone and had some weird-looking carvings all over its surface. As they got closer, Blake's eyes narrowed.

"This is a stag's head" she pointed in front of the rock where a skull was neatly placed around a small circle made of polished stones. They were dyed black, possibly from some small fire.

Yang checked the carvings and, to her disgust, realized they were actually drawings made of blood- and reminded her of something. They looked familiar, as if she had seen them before- but where?

"What the actual heck" was the only thing she managed to say, as she realized something else. "This monolith is filled in spider webs!" she knew Arachnea webs stopped being poisonous after a while, but they were also getting harder and more durable.

"This skull too" Blake grabbed her hunting knives; the only weapon left to her. Ilia released her whip, sizzling again with the few lightning dust remaining in her supplies. Yang cracked her fingers.

"Right into the spider's lair- like three pretty little flies" the lavender-eyed girl said. Immediately, her answer came. But it was not from Ilia or Blake.

A heavy thud broke the forest's silence. It echoed around the trees, gradually growing stronger and steadier as its owner slowly came into view from the other side of the path.

Yang and Blake were already aware of its identity, long before it reached the small opening where the monolith stood. They had encountered another one already in Thornwood.

A huge, two-meter tall, spider stood in front of them. Its body was made of crystal-like, pitch-black flesh and was supported in six bladed legs. Powerful-looking fangs protruded from its mouth.

A huge white bone carapace covered its massive body. A pair of additional legs on its front ended in two massive lumps of bone that could put Cardin Winchester's mace to shame. Yang could testify to that.

Six hungry red eyes, protected by the carapace's extension, glared at the three women. "A Behemoth" Blake whispered, slowly moving back to gain some distance.

"Fuck our luck!" Yang shouted. She had been expecting to see one of the larger Arachneas since they met the critters, but deep inside her she really hoped to be proven wrong.

The monster kept moving slowly towards the three women. It was large and bulgy, seemingly easy to avoid or outrun- but the bumblebee couple knew better.

This was the sole reason that made Yang dodge the attack when the Arachnea charged her. The massive arm struck, forcing her to jump to her left, while she rolled on the ground to avoid the second one.

Ilia was left speechless; both due to the thing's speed and the large crater its attacks left on the snow. "Keep constantly moving! It can only go fast in short bursts!" Blake's voice snapped her out of the trance.

Yang jumped forward and used the carapace to gain momentum, moving towards the opposite direction as the Behemoth charged at her. "And whatever happens, don't let those things hit you; trust me!"

The maroon-haired girl immediately shot her whip at the Grimm. She felt the tip of her weapon connect; lightning dust engulfing it- the monster barely reacted and turned around to face her.

Its charge was fast and deadly. But so was Blake's interception. The cat girl jumped between the two of them and used her earth-infused clone to absorb the impact as she took her friend away from the Grimm.

The Blake-like statue got annihilated, barely surviving a few seconds against the Behemoth's double maces. Yang jumped on its back and punched its legs, but it spun around in a rapid movement.

As pain racked her body and she felt being flown away, she concluded this thing hurt exactly as much as she remembered it. Her body skidded on the snow and stopped as soon as the Grimm readied its attack again.

Blake and Ilia jumped on it, trying to give her enough time to get away. They sliced, cut, hacked and diced, but to no avail. Its body was really tough and their weapons too weak to scratch the carapace.

Yang stood up, watching her two companions dance around the monster. She focused, trying to ignore the immense pain this thing had caused her. _It broke my aura in one hit, this damn fucker!_

She calmed down and reactivated it- thankfully. It seemed she still had a few aura left. She then looked at her dust reserves and made a quick decision.

She didn't have a lot left and had already used that skill more times than her body was comfortable with. But, she decided she would worry about that later, as she pressed a fire crystal through her palm.

Blake felt Yang's semblance activate from the immediate heat eruption from behind her. "Scatter, Ilia!" she screamed, both girls jumping away from the monstrosity that raised its maces to defend.

Yang's semblance-powered flaming punch collided on the bone appendage and completely exploded, creating a huge hole in it. The next hit immediately fell on her, trying to incapacitate the huntress.

Yang's left uppercut punched the other lump away. She pirouetted back, to gain momentum, allowing it to charge again at her.

Without even breaking a sweat, Yang stopped its advance by grabbing the Arachnea's arms. The creature pressed forward, trying to bite her head off with its fangs. But the huntress was no fool.

Yang whirled horizontally, avoiding all the attacks and rolling below is belly. She then gathered her semblance in her arms and gut punched the Grimm, pushing it with all her might. "Get…aaaaRGHHHH… READY!"

Overexerting herself, the brawler flipped the Behemoth over. Before it even managed to land, Ilia had jumped on it and used her whip to entangle its limbs.

Without anything to stand in her way, Blake charged forward and sliced its belly open, leaving a satisfied sigh as the Grimm evaporated beneath her. She stowed her knives away and ran to her partner.

"Yang! Are you ok? That was too reckless!" she screamed in fear as she saw blood running down the blonde's left arm. "I am fine; this thing just took me quite a lot of aura to pull off."

"Well, I am grateful for that" Ilia commented. "You saved us back there." Blake nodded in agreement and turned to the taller girl. "Do you want us to rest? We can-"

"Others will come" the woman rejected her offer. "We should really get going- I will take it easy, but it's better if we keep moving." Both faunus, agreed, albeit reluctantly, and the three women continued forward.

On the trees around them, the thin layers of transparent web moved as the critters transmitted the news of the guardian's demise to the Broodmother.

The colossal Grimm, filled in webs and tended by its hive, opened its mouth and screeched. Its endless hunger commanded only one thing- kill the souls that dared trespass its lair.

The numerous servants heard the call of their master and scattered around the forest, travelling over the trees and crawling upon the huntresses, barely leaving any sounds in their wake.


	56. Denizens of the Deep Forest

**Hello everyone! How are you? I wish you are doing well! **

**Chapter 56 is here and as always, I hope you enjoy it! **

**Almost ashamed of repeating myself, thank you so much for reading/ following/ favoring the video. You are the best! **

**See you all next week! **

* * *

"…" Ruby stood over the horrible scene, trying her best to put the pieces together. Behind her, Alex continuously hummed next to Mathew Moose, ready to protect the older faunus if necessary.

Ahead of the brunette huntress, Albus' form was trying its best to sketch the scene in his notebook, in a way to organize his thoughts and- possibly- come to any sort of deduction about the situation.

After the Grimm attacking them had pulled back and the snowfall had become lighter, the lumberjack had explained about the Nest.

He had told them the Arachneas had settled a few decades ago in North Aegis, preying upon the entire area leading up to Gloomharrow valley.

Thankfully, Carmel facility was in the southern part of the forest, according to the man. That had helped ease Ruby's concerns for a while as they rode their vehicles accompanied by their host inside the forest.

But then,_ this_ had appeared. In the middle of the path, an entire pert of the road had turned deep red by the blood of Dust knew how many poor CC armed guards.

Torn pieces of flesh, clothes still attached on it… heads, limbs and bloody bones spread all over the place, horribly chewed and gnawed… broken weapons and torn supply bags…

Ruby's glove-covered finger stirred a small pool next to a severed leg, trying her best to not weep for the poor fellows. _What is worse, the horrible scene, or the fact I am not totally disgusted by it?_ She thought.

Lowering his hood, Albus revealed his black and white hair as he tried to not step on too much body parts while walking towards Alex. It turned out to be quite the challenge, as he realized in disgust.

"They are so horribly killed and feasted upon, I can't even determine how many of them were here to begin with" he closed his notebook.

"What could have possibly caused this?" the bat faunus asked, staring at Matthew. "I can't be sure…" the brown-haired man used a handkerchief to cover his mouth "but the spiders do not kill like this."

"The only good thing" Ruby stood up, rubbing the frozen blood off her gloves "is that I haven't found anything belonging to Yang or Blake around here."

"Do you think they escaped somehow?" Albus asked her. "I am almost sure- they both excel at dealing with unexpected situations." She stared towards the woods "they could have easily escaped while the Grimm attacked."

"That's encouraging, but still brings us to square one. We have zero leads about where they might be." Ruby returned to her snowmobile and gestured the lumberjack to follow.

"If I were them, after resting, I would go straight to save Weiss" she said, switching on the vehicle's engine. "And that's exactly what I am going to do- Mr. Moose, do you know the way to the CC facility?"

"Yeah. Never been there on my own, but the path is hard to miss if you are familiar with the place. There is also an old abandoned cabin along it that could have been used for shelter if your friends are as skilled as you claim." She gave him a quick nod and both vehicles rushed forward away from the macabre scene.

-o—

"It's getting dark" Blake, eyes perked on top of her head and knives in hands, said after staring above the thick canopy. Ilia raised her head as well and her eyes got narrowed.

"That makes the situation even worse- we have been running and fighting all day long and for all I know we may be leading further away from the facility" Yang rubbed her hastily bandaged left arm.

The cat faunus rubbed her hair. Her usually smooth and rich black strands were now wet, filled in sweat, water and grime. Additionally, half her body was filled in the remains of small, semi-transparent webs.

"We have to keep moving- I will search for a safe place for the night" she finally said. "I want private bathrooms and a grill buffet" her partner commented.

"Your jokes are truly the last thing we need right now" Ilia glared at the blonde. "Hey, that's my way of staying focused. Take it, or leave it; unless you prefer listening to my concerns which, for the record, are quite numerous at this point" the elaborate reply came.

"Ok, that's enough for both of you" Blake said, effectively stopping their quarrel. "Can you keep up?" she asked as she turned her towards them.

"This is actually something _we_ should be asking _you_, Blake" Ilia replied in concern. "Cham is right, Kitten. You have been tracking and leading us non-stop. Maybe you should-"

"_You_ are the one who got clobbered by a Behemoth, Yang, not me." Yellow eyes narrowed and Lilac followed suit. Light gray stared at her two companions in exasperation.

"I take it we are all able to move, if you two have time to be stubborn like this" the chameleon girl said. Two quick nods was the only response she got before Blake turned around and started tracking.

The ground was becoming more and more uphill with every few steps they were taking. "We are climbing a slope, aren't we?" Yang commented.

"Yes- I hope we can reach some sort of vantage point- we have to somehow establish where exactly we are" the black-haired beauty replied.

Neither Yang nor Ilia objected to that and, as the night started to fall, they found themselves in front of another opening inside the forest.

At this point, the slope had started being really tough to walk in a regular pace- Yang was sure they were practically climbing a mountain. For some reason, that thought made her shiver.

"Stay close to Ilia, Yang" Blake, carefully moving ahead of them, commented. Without waiting for a response, the cat-girl stepped inside the opening.

The land was clean; _too_ clean for a forest, the faunus thought. Only fresh, powdery snow covered it. Even the ever-present until now spider webs were nonexistent.

The only things inside the distinctively clear area were three large circles on the ground. They were formed by small, black rocks carefully arranged and- Blake picked up one- _covered in dried blood_.

"Another one of those religious things?" Yang asked; the circles visible even to her under the last few rays of daylight. She noticed there were weird-looking carvings on them as well. Somehow, they looked familiar.

"Yes…" Blake answered in a half-hearted manner. The rock in her hand was heavy-much heavier than she would have ever expected. And, it felt strange. It…hurt her.

"Blake?" She didn't respond this time. The pain in her arm was growing with every passing second. It was strange; there were no wounds or even burns… just pain. And sorrow. This rock was making her sad.

"Blake?" Yang was calling her, but she didn't respond. Her mind was lost; lost back in time.

She remembered Yang, bleeding from the right severed arm on the floor of Beacon Academy.

Adam, her old weapon's tip through his chest, falling to his death.

She remembered Weiss and Ruby, crying at each other's arms over Qrow and Winter's death as they were escorted to Atlas' Prison.

Lumia and Penny lying half-dead in front of Thornwood Hospital; around them dozens of dried human corpses, victims of the Arachnea.

Velvet crying in front of her team's graves.

Sun… Sun getting sliced down by-

"BLAKE!" Yang slapped the rock out of the faunus girl's hand. She turned around, looking at her two companions. Her partner had left Ilia's side and ran straight for her, now looking visibly worried.

"Did it happen again?" despite the dark, the faunus could easily recognize her partner's caring, lavender eyes staring at her. Ilia was standing behind, equally concerned, checking their surroundings.

"Ah…" she rubbed her neck, trying to ease the gulp that had formed in her throat. "Yes, but… this time it was different…vivid images… and so many of them…"

"You are exhausted Blake- better get out of his place and find some cave or large tree to try get some sleep" the chameleon girl commented from behind them. "I agree" Yang knelt to take the stone-

The image of her mother, impaled through her stomach, on top of Tyrian's corpse, next to a heavily wounded Blake, filled her vision.

She blinked- Ruby, heavily battered, walked away from Avyssos' chasm, supporting Weiss, who has trying her best not to collapse from having lost her left eye.

"What the freaking Dust?!" she threw the accursed stone away. "This" she explained to the two confused faunus "was not Blake's fault- that stone did it. They showed me images- horrible memories."

"Let's move; the path seems to widen from here on" the cat-girl said, attempting to divert their attention. All of them rushed away and ran higher- to meet some unexpected scenery.

The night sky and gray clouds greeted them from above, as for the first time in a few days they saw a true opening without any trees in Aegis Forest.

Instead, seven of the same weird-looking black rocks with bloody carvings on them were there. The rocks were huge, almost six-meters high and seemed to pulse with a sinister aura. The girls shivered.

They formed a circle and in its middle… "Do you see anything?" Yang asked. "There is a stone… table in the middle" Blake replied as all three of them stepped inside the circle.

The hateful energy swirled around them; even without being able to exactly see it, the brawler could literally feel the pitch-black darkness that emanated from these stones.

And then, she felt something different. Or, more accurately, all three of them did. A loud thud, like heavy footsteps, echoed inside the pitch-black forest. Accompanied by the sound of swaying trees.

It was loud and heavy; heavy enough to put the Behemoth to shame. "Ahm… do you guys-" "_Yes!_" both faunus cut her off, fear evident in their voices.

The reason behind their reaction was really simple; they could see what Yang didn't. They could both see the treetops not far away from them move back and forth, despite the lack of air.

"Hide behind the stones, now!" Blake snapped into action, leading them behind the leftmost pillar. She knew that any nocturnal predator worth a lien would have a way to locate them, but she wouldn't make it easy for it.

The footsteps increased and became heavier and heavier, the swaying vegetation indicated whatever moved was approaching them- one could even say it was going straight for them.

And then it came into view. Its appearance was so sudden and its true identity, despite not totally unexpected, was enough to make them stifle a horrified gasp.

A colossal spider, tall as a tree, with skin as black as polished obsidian, came into view. Crystal-like white bone blades covered its front legs and reinforced white armor plates protected its other six ones, belly and head. Black acid dripped from its body, melting the snow.

Six scissor-like appendages surrounded its mouth. Three sets of scornful red eyes surveyed the opening, accompanied by thousands more on its back; they belonged to the hundreds of critters being carried there.

The Arachnea Broodmother, Queen of the Hive, turned her attention towards the stones. It didn't utter one single sound, but the silence was as deafening for the three huntresses.

-o—

"I think this is the time to run away, screaming like little girls" Yang whispered. "If I thought we can outrun it, I would have already started" Blake replied.

"You guys killed one of these under Thornwood, didn't you?" Ilia whispered, crawling on the pillar. "How did you do it?"

"We carried our weapons, were prepared for an expedition, and had 9 more huntsmen and huntresses with us" her fellow faunus commented. "I think we lack quite a few things here."

The hulking predator moved even closer to the stones, its huge shadow falling upon the circle. "The only thing I can tell you is that its neck and back are its weak spots."

"…" Ilia blinked. "You mean the place that numerous Webspinners are protecting?" "Exactly" Yang, trying her best to view anything except for the red dots and black outlines, replied.

The creature came even closer; at this point its head was just a few meters above the first column. It glared, moving it around as if searching for something.

"It seems to be looking for us- what do we do?" Ilia asked. "As soon as it takes the next step, run to the back and climb the furthest stone- we have to get on equal ground with its head for starters" Blake replied.

"How is Yang-" Ilia didn't even manage to finish her question. A single projectile was shot from the blonde's direction towards the center of the stones, crashing on top of the table.

Soundless as always, the Nest turned towards the sudden sound, just before Yang's arm gun shot at it. The web-covered stone received the flame dust projectile and burst in flames, filling the stones with its red light.

"Dash!" all three huntresses ran backwards, the exact moment their enemy opened its mouth and spit black mud at them. The nasty goo fell on their previous standing spot, melting the snow and corroding the ground beneath. However, the pillar remained unaffected by it.

A giant blade swiped through the air, aiming to cut them in half. Yang jumped and rolled forward, while Ilia simply ducked. Blake let her clone absorb the hit and reappeared next to them.

"There!" the second claw impaled the ground as the massive body moved forward and knocked down the first two pillars. Yang grabbed the third one and used its surface as foothold to propel away.

It was at that moment the little critters started spitting webs. The nasty, poisonous strands hit the blonde woman on the right side, as she had barely managed to turn in order to let her metal arm defend.

The series of attacks continued, showering all three of them and filling the half-lit ruins with the stench of venom vapors, augmented by the Broodmother's breath weapon.

Blake teleported again twice, ending on top of the third rock, the closest one to the monster. Ilia unleashed her whip and used it as a makeshift hook to quickly climb up next to her away from the attacks.

Yang stopped and turned around. Unlike the others, now that she was out of gravity dust, she needed some extra foothold to jump that high within a moment's notice.

"Yang!" the chameleon girl said, but Blake didn't even worry. She knew her partner's logic in such situations; if you don't have a foothold, let one come at you.

The Hive stood above her and showered the brawler in poison, forcing her to roll away once more. Immediately, it moved forward to impale her with its blades, hitting the third pillar.

"Go!" the two faunus jumped to the fourth one, and then to the fifth, just before the previous two collapsed under the force of the monster.

The spinners turned at them and started shooting toxic strands. "You know what to do, Ilia! Use all of your fire dust!" Blake flipped her blades and started whirling them, making a series of X- and V- patterned slices.

She used her outstanding eyesight and agility to cut and severe the strands just as they passed by her, in order to avoid getting stuck. She continuously moved spinning and dodging.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Yang jumped, kicked and rolled, to avoid the toxic sludge, waiting for the Hive's next series of attacks. She knew it was risky- her aura was still in bad shape. But, if she could force it to-

The Grimm didn't disappoint her. After a few failed attempts at hitting her with its breath weapon or body vapors, it shot its blade-like appendages at her.

"Wow!" Yang sidestepped the right blade, avoiding the huge crater it left on the earth. As the left one thrust at her head, she grabbed the other- and jumped on it.

The Hive retracted its arms and started running the blades across each other in an attempt to throw her off. The disgusting sound of bone finding bone filled the circle.

None of them had the luxury of dealing with it, however. Blake kept dodging and slicing the web spits, jumping back and forth between the sixth and the seventh pillar.

Yang whirled, jumped and climbed on the two blades. She had to focus; with her aura that low, any hit could potentially be fatal. She had to keep climbing-

The left blade sizzled along the right's surface, coming for her. She jumped maneuvered mid-air and used her right arm to grab its edge. This was exhausting her- she really was overexerting her body here!

While the other two focused on avoiding the attacks, Ilia had managed to use her camouflage to reach the last stone column. She lashed her whip out and latched it on top of the beast's back.

As soon as she landed on the humongous lump of crystallized flesh and bone, all Webspinners turned at her. She knew her semblance couldn't protect her from the monsters that long; only if she kept a low profile.

But still, she couldn't help the impeding sense of dread she felt when a sea of pulsing and throbbing red eyes moved to swarm her. She readied her whip-

A Blake-shaped shadow descended upon the swarm, cutting, slicing and dicing the critters. Any Arachnea coming too close was dispatched by the cat-girl and the few who survived were dodged by her semblance.

It took less than a couple seconds for the faunus to snap out of her awe and kneel on top of the moving back. Thankfully, both of them had perfect balance and didn't bother the huge spider's rapid thrashes.

Using her lightning whip as a makeshift cutter, the chameleon faunus cut a deep hole on the black flesh. The Hive screeched and thrashed, trying to get rid of the dangerous intruder.

The swarm tried to bypass Blake, but the faunus fully unleashed her semblance, blinking, attacking and then blinking again. Her movements were so precise; it was as if a literal Blake Wall got erected to protect her friend from the carnivorous minions.

Balancing with her left hand on top of the moving hive, Ilia pulled out their last fire dust vials. And then, she felt a surge of energy pulsing from below.

All the pores of its body opened, unleashing a venomous miasmatic cloud that started engulfing them- and then stopped.

Sensing what the monster was trying to do, Yang had decided to jump and grab one of the Grimm's fangs. It thrashed its head and fangs, trying to throw her in its mouth, but she kept a firm grip.

"GO! ILIA!" The tall woman opened her right arm's handgun and emptied the last remaining of her dust reserves on the creature's head.

She knew they wouldn't do anything serious, but that wasn't her intention. All she needed was to distract it enough.

The chameleon-girl threw all the fire dust inside the hole and then readied her whip "JUMP!" she screamed as she hit the makeshift bomb with her weapon.

The explosion engulfed all the area, lighting the night sky like New Year's fireworks. A horrible, unearthly dying screech followed for a split second before total silence overcame it.


	57. The Way to Live One's Life

**Hello again! How are you all doing! I hope as well as possible!**

**Chapter 57 is here and as always I hope you enjoy it!**

**Thanks once more for keeping up with the story everyone! I will see you next week and wish you all the best until then!**

* * *

Three figures ran on top of the warehouse, as the growling sounds of Beowolves from below filled their ears. "Why" Wenge was at a loss for words "why would you ever help us?"

"Ask her" Kendrick grumbled. "I simply trusted her to be less stupid than she sounded when she dragged me to do so" he added in a half joking, half serious manner.

Night had started falling upon them and only the facility lights helped them not stumble while moving. "Do you intend to hold me hostage?" "Nothing of that sort; you are not talking to your Boss, Mr. Knight."

The tone behind that answer was more surprising than the answer itself. It had an air of absolution and honesty in it, quite unlike how the pale girl had been acting since he first saw her at the ball.

They reached the edge and she stepped quite ferociously, jumping and landing at the roof of the main building. "Will you come? Or will you wait for the wolves to find a way up?" she asked.

As both men landed next to her, the CC chief of personnel turned back at her "then why would you ever help us? It makes no sense!" Weiss exhaled deeply- her exhaustion was quite evident.

"It is because of him" she pointed at Kendrick. "Me? I told you it was a bad idea!" he protested. "You did, yes" the huntress solemnly replied "but before that, you reminded me something really important- how much value my life has."

"That makes even less sense!" both of them complained, while following her to the ventilation shaft's hatch. "That would have to make you want to survive; you are clearly in no condition to fight!"

"I AM A HUNTRESS!" she shouted at Wenge, making both men flinch. "Like Ruby, Yang, Blake and Winter are! I am sworn to protect people from monsters; be that Grimm or even other people!"

"Weiss…" Kendrick whispered. "If I am to die, then so be it! BUT I WILL DIE FIGHTING! I WILL DIE PROTECTING MY WAY OF LIFE! I WILL LEAVE MY LAST BREATH ON TOP OF A PILE OF GRIMM CORPSES, EVEN IF I HAVE TO HIT THEM WITH A POINTED STICK!

I WILL UPHOLD MY HONOR AS WEISS SCHNEE- THE HUNTRESS! AND WHEN I GET KILLED, BE IT TODAY OR IN A FEW YEARS, I WILL GREET MY BELOVED ONES UP IN HEAVEN WITH MY BEST, MOST IDIOTIC SMILE!"

She took a deep breath "this is the way of life I chose to live; not the pathetic display of self-pity I exerted last month. So Kendrick, to quote your own words, are you with me…" she held out her hand and smiled "…my friend?"

"Well" still holding the gun to the other man, the faunus replied "I couldn't say no to a friend now, could I?" he shook her thin palm "You are both crazy… but thank you" Wenge nodded in approval.

"Yes, whatever" the komodo man glared at him. "Wait till we have saved your people and escaped to thank us; we may actually be condemning you to a fate as bad as getting eaten here."

"Less talking- more action" Weiss reprimanded them; making both men stare at her in surprise. "Also, I would love you to give me all the dust you have in that belt of yours, if you would be so kind, Mr. Knight."

-o—

The horrible sounds of something feasting filled the empty halls of the facility. The gunshots and human screams of terror that preceded them let no room for doubt about the nature of the feast.

The unforeseen avalanche and Grimm attack had destroyed most of the recently repaired communication systems. Only the independent power plant below worked, still supplying the facility with light in the middle of the night.

For the three CC armed guards, it was a situation out of their worst fears. They were trained and well-equipped enough to suppress human and average Grimm attacks, but not something like this.

Slowly retreating, guns at hand, listening to their colleagues getting eaten alive by a monster of unknown form, was nothing short of a nightmare. That much was sure.

"Any news from the others?" the first asked as they entered the second part of the long tunnel-shaped corridor and closed the door behind them.

"Ms. Carmel and team 3 are on the first floor. Team 1 is still underground" the other replied, lowering his radio. "Teams 4-5 are unaccounted for, as is Mr. Knight" he finished his report.

"That leaves ten of us alive, including Ms. Carmel" the third one commented. "Let's retreat to the control room- the stairs are on our left." The others nodded and quickly moved away from the barricade.

They rushed down the stairs and turned to their left towards the control room. They stepped inside- and froze on spot.

Team 4 was there, or rather the remains of two of its members. The first one was gutted and thrown on the wall with such force that it had left a humongous bloodstain.

The second one was so badly eaten; the mere implicated brutality of what had happened made the men shivered. "Where is the third one?" one of the men asked.

"Doesn't matter! We have to-" "Found him" the reply came, and was quite emotionless. "Wait! What are you doing? We have to go!" he screamed as their third companion stood over the man, gasping.

The final corpse was in the floor-literally. Something had pushed the corpse so much inside the wooden floor, it had been flattened. A mass of fiber, flesh and blood was the only thing indicating it once was alive.

"What the hell?" "GUYS! WILL YOU-" his voice cut short as a burst of wind whirled behind him. "Did the window break?" he turned around- and came face to face with a pair of pitch black eyes staring at him.

The other two men didn't even manage to warn him; Morkvind, the stag-headed woodland Grimm, grabbed his head with a clawed hand.

Before he could even realize the impeding horror, it easily raised the man and swung him around like a rag doll made of flesh and blood.

The disgusting sound of bones snapping and the blood marks the man left on the surfaces the monster struck him on, made the others snap out of their shock.

They made a mad dash for the corridor, uninterrupted by the vicious monster that seemed to care more about playing with its victim.

Their luck didn't last long, however. As soon as they stepped out, a small group of white Beowolves charged at them from the other side of the corridor.

"NO! NOOO!" they shot while falling back and screaming at the monstrosities. A couple wolves fell down, then a few more. But the pack was advancing on them- just a few more meters to reach them.

A large glyph on the floor created a huge slab of stone. It totally sealed the opening, crushing one wolf that got caught in its path. Both men turned around and were met with a gleaming cyan eye.

And not only that. "Mr. Knight! You are alive!" they said, trying to raise their weapons. "I wouldn't do that" Kendrick, pointing a gun at the handsome man's head, responded.

"Neither would I" Weiss, standing between the two groups, raised her hand. "Unless you want me to dispel the barrier and let the Beowolves feed on you."

Of course she both couldn't and wouldn't do that, but she hoped they were not that bright. "Let's get out of here before everything goes to hell- the generator won't last long and neither will we" Wenge, still pretending to be captured, explained.

"We need your assistance so that we all may leave this place alive" Weiss added. "And I don't have much time to spare- are you with us?"

Both men nodded in acceptance and started moving. "Where is Ms. Carmel?" Wenge asked as they ran through the passage. "I think she is somewhere on that floor- she was alive a while ago."

"We checked the entire wing; she can't be here" Weiss shot them down. "Then they moved below- possibly to the underground passage" the man replied to her.

"What are we waiting for then?" the girl said. "We should go with them! They might need help!" "WEISS! WATCH OU-" the gunshot filled her ears, and a green figure filled her vision.

Weiss' eye opened wide. In front of her, bleeding on the floor with a hole in his chest was Kendrick. On the other side of the corridor, next to the staircase leading below, was Sophia Carmel, gun in hand.

"Madam!" all three men ran towards her. "Get them, you fools! They are armed and potentially dangerous!" she screamed, making the guards raise their weapons at them.

"KENDRICK!" Weiss ran next to her friend. "What are you doing; we are here to help you!" the woman said, as she positioned her body between the groaning faunus and the enemies.

The wind suddenly grew wind and an eerie howl echoed from behind the stone slab. "I know; I heard you" Sophia glared at her as loud bangs started being heard from the barricade.

"And help us is what you will do; by staying here and acting as our decoy, that is" her eyes narrowed. "How low can you fall?" Weiss hissed. "Tch; let's go, you three. We have wasted enough time here."

All three of them sent a sad look towards the huntress, who bit her lip in fury. "You…should be ashamed of yourselves…" Kendrick said trying to get up. "You are just mindless thralls; nothing more…"

"Don't move! You will open your wound!" the alabaster girl knelt next to him, as the others escorted Sophia down to the exit, sparing a few worried glances at the pair.

-o—

"Team 3 is dead to the Beowolves" the woman explained as they rushed down the stairs. "Team 1 has repaired one of the jeeps and are outside, waiting for us. We should get moving as quickly as possible."

"That was a cruel thing we did back there; they came here to help us instead of letting us die, Boss" Wenge said. "You are free to join them if you suddenly decided to develop conscience, Mr. Knight" she replied.

"That… I am sorry Madam. It just feels kind of bad." She didn't reply. "We are almost outside, Madam!" the guards told them. "Good; if Beowolves didn't attack them, the vehicle should be already-"

As they all stepped out, Sophia's breath got caught in her throat. Team 1 was lying on the ground, motionless, next to the jeep. There were no Beowolves around them, no.

What stood in front of them was far deadlier and far more frightening. Sophia barely reacted and the men didn't even manage to open fire before they were all tossed around like puppets dancing on strings.

-o—

The sound of claws and fangs slowly tearing down the wall was nerve-wracking. Weiss pressed her hands on top of the wound. Her fingers got bloody, but she didn't mind.

"You should run away…you have a couple minutes before the wall gives in… I know you used all your dust in the fights we had coming here…" he whispered. "I am leaving, yes… and you are coming with me!"

Despite the man's weak protests, she tore off a piece of her uniform and removed her eye patch to tie the fabric in place. One cyan and one pure white eye looked at him as she finished.

"There we go…" "Weiss no!" "HYAMPH!" she let a totally unladylike sound, picking him up in a bridal-carry style. "Weiss, this is stupid…" he protested again, as the girl slowly started running away.

"There is nothing stupid in helping a friend" she replied. "You will die for sure!" A hole opened in the wall, allowing a series of hungry growls to pass through, as the monsters slowly started tearing in open.

"I know…" she whispered. "I will die." The wall gave in, and half a dozen ferocious white Grimm ran towards them. "But it will be alongside a friend- I was really happy to meet you, Kendrick."

"Weiss…you fool" the man's pained reply came. "You are such a-" before he finished, energy surrounded them. "What is this?" he asked as a large glyph appeared in front of them.

"I told you" the petite girl exclaimed under a strained breath "when I die, it shall be on top of a pile of Grimm corpses!" she unleashed her suppressed feelings, and the circle roared.

This time, it was different; she knew it. Weiss ignored the mass of salivating and rampaging monsters charging her. She focused on totally different things.

Ruby, the adorable little idiot who would be soon dead by the hands of Carmel's men. She was smiling while playing games with Jaune.

Blake, the prideful little faunus who showed her how two different people could be victims of the same cause, napping on Sun's lap.

Ren, Nora, team LEAD, Neptune, Velvet… even the lab staff were there, smiling at her for the birthday she would never spend again with them.

Kendrick's body, hurt taking a bullet intended for her… how she wished she could have talked more with the man who supported her like that.

Yang… was smiling. Just that. Yang always did that, smiled. Even when she was hurt or anxious, even when she was angry or acting like a little bitch, Yang was smiling at her.

That smile was all she needed. Not her left eye or her status. Her legacy and her name were meaningless. All she needed was for Yang to smile at her and go on missions together with team RWBY.

_It took losing you, for me to understand that… such a fool…._ The circle roared and a large spiked tail rose from it. _I hope you are watching me, my Smiling Fiery Dragon. I will greet you in the afterlife with the same smile you always did._

"Before that, I will pummel you all! GO!" all of Weiss' suppressed fury, sorrow and pain erupted. A large Grimm burst out of the circle and immediately stopped the wolves' advance.

Made of pure energy and fueled by Weiss' remaining semblance, the Valkraghast towered over the lesser summons. A Beowolf charged it- and got skewered by the spear-like stinger.

Two more ran towards it. _Left and right, move_. It grabbed them both with its claws and thrashed them with each other, destroying them at once.

The fourth bit at the Valkraghast's leg and dragged it forward. The fifth and sixth jumped on the summoned monster and started ferociously biting its arms.

_Tail. _Under Weiss' mental command, its tail shot like a whip and threw the wolf attacking its leg. _Bite…ah… them…_ she was starting to lose stamina, but this mattered little. She was still alive, damn it!

The skeleton-like Grimm bit the neck of the fifth wolf and snapped it, destroying the monster. The fourth one charged it and bit its back, but the battle was already won.

The Valkraghast impaled the wolf occupying its arm and turned around. With a swift motion, it tore the last remaining enemy in half, allowing it to dissipate in dust.

"Amazing, Weiss…" Kendrick was speechless. The amount of power the petite girl had just showcased was truly phenomenal! "This is not over yet; here it comes" the emotionless reply came.

The corridor suddenly got filled with strong, cold wind. To Weiss, it smelled of death. The lights trembled and sizzled, adding even more shadows to its pitch-black body.

_Dead wind whispers in the trees, _

The lullaby came again to her mind.

_Spirit of ancient spite it brings…_

Was it made by someone who had somehow managed to meet this thing and survived? She would probably never know.

_Tall as a house and made of night,_

_Hunting with sinister delight…_

The tall figure, easily reaching up to the ceiling, showed itself. The emotionless, stag-shaped head focused on the pure white summoned enemy.

_Send the kids to go sleep tight, _

_Shadows whisper tonight…_

The Valkraghast attacked first. With immense speed, it jumped on the ceiling. It ran straight to the monster's head and used its tail to impale it-

Weiss felt her heart stop. The stag head didn't even turn to stare at the attacker. The Morkvind simply swung its claw and sliced the tail off, like butter cut by a sharp knife.

Before she could pull herself together, the towering monstrosity opened its mouth, revealing a series of large and not very sharp teeth. That didn't stop it from biting half her servant's torso off, however.

As the Valkraghast faded and her last remaining traces of aura left her, Weiss felt her legs give off. The amount of energy it exerted in tearing her summoned Grimm apart was minuscule- like toying with it!

_Heart of darkness, flesh of cold…_

_Wicked, voracious, hundred years old…_

It moved forward, so slowly. More Beowolves accompanied it, but remained behind their leader. Their eyes glared at them in raw, inhuman hatred.

She had to move; she knew she did. But she was practically exhausted and besides she was fully aware it could easily get her if needed. So, she gripped Kendrick's fingers.

"It was my pleasure, Weiss" the man was trembling from cold and blood loss.

_Nothing matters when it stares…_

"The pleasure was all mine; I am sorry I couldn't save you" she whimpered, trying to steel her mind for what was coming.

_All shall die and nobody cares… _

She finished reciting the first lines of the rhyme in her mind, the exact moment it stopped in front of them. Up close, its smell wasn't that bad. In fact, it smelled of… cookie dough?

"_Let the brave huntsmen fight… _

_Their souls blessed in the night…"_

Her lips moved as soon as the smell reached her. Why did she choose these as her last words? The wolves moved around the Morkvind.

"I missed your beautiful voice" a powerful blast of wind filled the room. Unlike the dead wind the Grimm carried, however, it was fresh and full of life- and filled in rose petals.

The white-colored Beowolves got annihilated before Crescent Rose's tip touched the floor. A red cape stood before Weiss. Its owner smiled- Weiss was sure she could see her smile despite staring at her back.

Ruby Rose's silver eyes stared deeply into Morkvind's dark pits as the huntress grinned deeper. "Payback, round 2; Grimm whooping!"


	58. Made of Night

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope as well as possible, all things considered. **

**Chapter 58 is here- I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thanks a lot for following/favoring/reading the story, it really means a lot. Also, an additional thank you to the guest who commented on Weiss; I am really happy you liked her! **

**I will see you all next week! Until then, be well! **

* * *

Weiss couldn't believe her eye. That laughter… the smell of freshly-baked cookie dough… the red cape… Crescent Rose on her hands and Thorn on her belt… the petals… if she hadn't gone mad, then only one thing could be happening in front of her.

Ruby was alive! And she was _here_, right in front of her, ready to take on the Grimm, like a knight from a fairy tale! "Stay back" she said, without taking her eyes off the Grimm "the only safe place is behind me!"

Before she could even finish her words, the monstrous Grimm swiped at her partner. The huntress swirled her scythe and deflected the attack, immediately bursting away from the second strike.

In a moment's notice, Ruby appeared on top of the monster. Crescent Rose went for its neck, to severe the ugly skull- a large vine burst from the floor, absorbing the impact.

Ruby didn't care. She used the vine as a stepping stone and spun vertically mid-air, throwing Crescent Rose towards the Grimm's leg as more branches broke out from the wall and lashed at her.

The attack failed and her beloved scythe pierced the ground- as she expected it to. The branches missed as Ruby burst again and reappeared on top of her weapon, just in front of the enemy's belly.

Gripping hard, she swung to slice its legs. But the Grimm wasn't there anymore. She bit back a few curses as it reappeared on the other side of the hall- thankfully far away from Weiss and Kendrick.

_What amazing instincts!_ She slowly walked to stand between it and the others. All those seconds she walked, its dark, unmoving eyes glaring at her in a sinister and curious manner.

"So…" Kendrick's voice snapped her out of her shock "that's… Ruby Rose, huh? Not bad…" Weiss pressed the wound harder. "Please don't talk; you will-"

"I am a goner, in case you haven't noticed…" he pointed at the severe amount of blood covering their jointed fingers. "No…Ruby's here!" Weiss protested. "We will save you!"

"Heh… in a way you already have, Weiss…" he started gasping, as his body was becoming more and more rigid. "No…Kendrick!" she felt wet trails running down her eyes- both of them.

Her friend's whimper stung Ruby's heart, but her tight grip and posture didn't waver even for a second. That thing was dangerous- and she was not stupid enough to give it any openings.

"You are crying tears of blood… not a good… thing…" he coughed again. "ahh… ahhh…." She pressed even harder, but the blood flow couldn't stop.

"Ah, that reminds me; sorry but I will be keeping your eye patch." She curled her fingers "show it to Carlo up there…tell him what a great friend I made in this accursed place…" Weiss nodded.

Ruby's entire body was on edge as the Morkvind stood up again. Would it go for Weiss? Would it go for her? Would it-

Her quick reflexes allowed her to escape the vines and spikes that shot out of the floor. Whirling Crescent Rose, she danced around the assaulting vegetation, cutting down all branches and thorns.

The monster appeared in front of her. "RUBY!" Weiss' scream echoed in the corridor, as the pale girl saw the stag-shaped maw open to devour the red-caped girl.

But she was ready. She had been expecting this quite for a while- which was the reason Ruby had opted to fill her weapon with explosive fire dust.

Shooting inside its open mouth and then bursting away with immense speed, the small reaper landed in front of Weiss and Kendrick the exact moment the Grimm burst in flames with a loud explosion.

"You are in good hands… grea…t…" his voice became more silent and his breathing harsher. "Noo…NO! PLEASE! NO! Kendrick, can you hear me? Ruby! Can you do something? Please?!"

Seeing so much pain in her beloved partner's- her second sister's- eyes tore her heart apart, but Ruby truly had no way to help the poor faunus.

She shook her head softly, as she knelt next to Weiss. Her first aid kits were outside and even those wouldn't be able to treat a bullet would that deep.

"Please… no…" the faunus' hand stretched out at her, holding a small, bloodied white piece of fabric at her. "Remember me… now and then… and have a drink… with Yang for me…"

She nodded again and took the fabric. Kendrick's eyes closed and he smiled as his body grew still-

Ruby reacted faster than she could blink. Out of the smoke and dust, the Morkvind rushed at them. _Curse my carelessness!_ She groaned, as she ferociously spun her weapon in a high arc.

It all happened in a blur. Ruby swung hard, trying to slice its arms off. Behind her, a teary Weiss screamed in rage as she pushed over her limits to conjure her trusted knight, sweat and blood dripping all over her face and body.

Surprising the huntresses, the creature stopped. It stood tall, ignoring both of them. Its stag-shaped head thrust around as if trying to detect something.

"**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"** both girls flinched from the unearthly scream. The skull-shaped maw screeched with inhuman sounds; a mixture of hatred, anger and hunger filling them.

Then, as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. A small breeze caressed their faces as the Grimm simply faded into thin air, leaving nothing but a vine-filled corridor in its wake.

"It…left?" Ruby narrowed her eyes, still not lowering her weapon. "It seems like it did" Weiss replied. "And it was not the only one who left us" she gulped.

Kendrick, still smiling, was peacefully cradled in her arms. Tears from her right eye and blood from her left fell on the faunus' body. "Thank you… I will never… NEVER forget this" she whimpered, fiercely grasping the scarf in her hands.

Ruby, having made sure no more unpleasant surprises were looming around here, knelt next to her partner and hugged her. "I am sorry, Weiss…"

"I should be sorry, Ruby. I should have trusted you to come. But…" she sniffed. "Kendrick is… I couldn't help him… he protected me… Yang is gone… Blake too…" she sniffed again, trying her best to not break.

"What are you talking about?" silver eyes stared at cyan in confusion. "Carmel told me when we came here… she executed Yang and Blake, Ruby… she killed them. And now she took poor Kendrick as well…"

She was ready to start whimper again, but something stopped her. Ruby was not overreacting or even showing any sign of sadness, anger or guilt. The only thing the brunette did was raise her eye in confusion.

"Weiss, I think we really need to talk" she stood up. "It seems to me you have misunderstood." It was Weiss' turn to stare in confusion, before Ruby told her something that hit her like a 100-ton hammer.

"I have reasons to believe Yang and Blake escaped Carmel's men _alive_."

-o—

Yang opened her eyes to a pulsing green light. Her entire body hurt like hell; her arms, legs and shoulders were stiff and sore, to the point of not being able to move it.

She blinked a few times to get used to the light. _Wait, what?_ She forced her eyelids open when her mind registered that fact. There was truly light surrounding her; a horrifyingly familiar ghostly green miasma.

_Holy Dust! This isn't good! _The sky was still dark and cloudy. From what she could realize, they were still in the opening. Most of the stones were tumbled and cracked; either from the Hive or the explosion.

Green beacons of energy formed a circle outside the collapsed structures, pulsing with the same wicked light she had come to hate since their skirmish in Grimmwater.

_Gotta find the others! Hope they are- _She tried to get up but realized a couple issues she had failed to register. First one, her right arm was missing. Second, she was, for some reason, tied up on a large stone table!

_What the_\- "Don't sweat it Yang" Blake's voice sounded from behind her. "Blakey? Is that you? Is Cham with you?" she asked, feeling a little better.

"Ilia is here; fine but unconscious. She pushed herself too hard" her partner's voice replied. "I see… judging from the fact you haven't released me yet, I would say you are tied up as well, right?" she asked.

"Spending time with Weiss has made you quite intuitive" Blake acknowledged. "Any clues on why are we like this?" Yang spared no time asking again.

"Nothing at all. I just woke up a few minutes ago as well" the cat faunus replied. "Waking up to some weird situation is becoming a habit as of late" Yang mustered as much clarity and humor as possible.

"Heh" her friend chuckled. "Judging from what I see around us, I wouldn't put it past Fenris to be responsible for this- if we take his recent turn to occultism into account, that is."

"Recent? You are giving me way too little credit, dear Blake" a deep, feral voice replied to the statement. "I can ensure you; my faith and religious drive are even older than you two are."

Yang narrowed her eyes and Blake held her breath as a tall, hooded figure walked to them past the flames. His posture was proud, yet he didn't even attempt to conceal the malice permeating his body.

"Gray…Fenris" the blonde woman heard her partner hiss. Three hyena faunus dressed in winter clothes and sporting some really stupid faces followed him.

She gritted her teeth when she saw one of them was holding her metal arm in his hands. He grinned at her and she gleefully imagined breaking his teeth with her knee.

"Sen, Ed and Baz Spot… you really found yourself the lowest of the low, Gray" Blake's voice disrupted her imagination. "And what do you mean 'older than both of us'?" Yang decided to break her silence as well.

"Hehehe…" the first of the hyenas, the only female out of the three, moved in front of her. "Curious, you filthy human?" Her breath smelled _really_ bad.

"Ahm, not anymore" mimicking her girlfriend's reaction anytime Ruby tried to hug her after a workout, she made a very distinct motion of sniffing her nose.

The woman grabbed her neck and pushed her face next to hers. "Act smart once more and I will gut you alive, you-" "Sen!" Gray's voice cut the female faunus off and she moved away from her.

"To answer your question Blake" he addressed the captive faunus "I have been far more into the worship of the Elders than you could process; even when I was part of the White Fang."

"Why would a doctor, one who is sworn to save people's lives, turn this way?" she blurted. Yang sensed the anger inside her partner's voice. "What made you fall this far, Gray?"

The hood didn't move for a few seconds, before he answered. "Ah, yes. I had forgotten I had told you and Adam that story back then. I am rather impressed you still remember."

"I survived the ashes of the hospital fire! I want to fully support you! I want revenge for the SDC who let us burn like animals!" he shouted in a rather humorous manner. "What a convenient lie you all gobbled up!"

"So, it was a lie…" Blake replied, anger still lacing her voice. "But why would you ever feed us something like that? And why did you know so many things about it if you weren't there?"

"You shut your trap you filthy traitor! You are lucky I didn't bite your ears off in your sleep!" the statement, coming from Ed, made Yang's hair in the back of her neck stand on edge.

"Now, now…let's keep our guests entertained until the host appears, Ed…" Gray shot him a glare under his cowl. The man growled and stepped back as his sister before him.

"To answer your inquiries, Ms. Belladonna" he turned back at her. "Idealists like the White Fang are so easy to be exploited in so many useful ways; the reason I left after Adam took control was because I had nothing more to gain from him."

"You…" Yang was almost certain Blake would have jumped at him with everything she had weren't she restrained.

"As for why I know so many things about the hospital, it is because I was there. I simply wasn't a doctor, but a patient. A criminal kept under strict police custody, being treated in secret by a doctor."

Yang chuckled. All three hyenas turned at her, but Gray raised his arm and stopped them. "So you were a mere criminal all along- Sienna was a fool for accepting you" Blake replied.

"On that we agree" Gray cackled. "I, too, was a mere fool; an insignificant young man who sacrificed homeless humans to the Old Gods of Remnant, before I escaped that hospital and learnt of the White Fang."

Yang felt her eyes open wide. _Did this guy just admit performing human sacrifices?_ She thought for a moment she felt Blake's teeth grit.

"I lacked vision. I suppose I have to thank Sienna and Adam for providing me with a way to find my own path in the world" he cackled again.

"You didn't find anything!" Blake shouted at him in fury. "You opened that path by deceiving, killing and taking advantage of others!" _Blakey…_

"You are nothing more than a ghoul who survived by eating the corpse of everyone you met! I am ashamed to admit we belong to the same species!"

The girl's outburst was not received well by the three siblings, but their leader once more motioned them to stay put. He walked next to Blake and lowered his hood, earning a pair of gasps from the huntresses.

Gray had a thin face with highlighted cheekbones and a narrow jaw. He seemed old, at least older than their parents, with short gray hair and feral-looking green eyes. A gray goatee and sideburns adorned his face.

This was not what caused the girls' reaction, however. All over his face and large forehead, there were thin black lines forming a weird-looking pattern. Around them, the skin was red like it had been charred.

_This is like Vomit Boy's_… Yang thought. "What is this?" Blake whispered. But she got no reply. Instead, Gray narrowed his eyes at her "do not insult me by thinking such stupid things, heiress to the Belladonnas."

_Now, that was a weird way to address Blake. _"You and every other faunus who walked away from the Old Ways trying to become more _civilized_, are not the same species as us" he exclaimed in disgust.

"Same goes for filthy humans who act as if they are the owners of this world" he turned to Yang and knelt over her, like a doctor examining a patient "while they are simply an elaborate offering to the Gods."

Unlike with Sen before, the blonde brawler didn't feel disgust. The only thing this man inspired to her was dread. Like something totally not human stared at her very soul.

It felt like back then with Cherry. But if Yang could compare them, the fox-girl was like a raging storm; straightforward, honest and filled with incredible power, eager to test it with every chance.

This man, on the other hand, was like the deepest pits of the ocean; unknown, and deadly. His smirk irritated her as much as it filled her with horrified anticipation of what would happen afterwards.

"You are afraid of me" he finally said. This statement made his subordinates burst into wild laughter. "That is very wise, Yang Xiao Long" he added, making her raise an eyebrow.

Before Yang had the chance to reply, however, a sudden gust of wind stroke the altar, making all green flames flicker wildly. The Spot siblings' laughter stopped and Fenris stood up, raising his hood.

"It is coming; we are leaving at once" the man started walking away from them in a fast pace. "Wait; what is coming?" Yang shouted at him.

"The reason we kept you alive instead of chopping you to pieces is coming" Sen growled at her. "I wish I could stay around to see you getting eaten alive, you filthy-"

"Sen move. NOW!" the wolf man raised his voice for the first time. Somehow this thing scared her more than anything else that had happened so far.

"Mmm…" Ilia's voice was heard from behind Yang the moment the bandits left the circle. "Ilia, are you okay?" Blake asked, fear evident in her own voice, as the wind grew stronger.

"I think so… what happened? Why are we tied up?!" the wind descended upon them, chilling them to the bone. Yang's hair swirled and her nostrils got filled with the stench of moldy leaves.

The flames were now roaring around, dancing like mad in the swirling breeze. Hideous figures were cast by the flickering lights and the brawler wasn't sure they were all due to the fires' movement.

"Well; I would say we are the main course for someone's dinner" Yang forced herself to say. "Now's not the time for jokes!" "I know! Just trying to-" "Someone's coming!"

The sound of heavy, rasped panting and breathing followed Blake's statement as two figures stepped inside the circle, rolling to avoid catching up fire.

They got up and continued their path towards the girls. Yang gaped as they reached to them. "Albus?! Alex?! What are you guys doing here?" she cried in a mixture of joy and confusion.

"Do you want to discuss this _now_?" the man knelt next to her and begun unlocking her chains, while the bat faunus did the same for Blake and Ilia. "Well, I am curious; you can't-"

Her voice died in her throat as soon as Albus removed the chains and released her. Quite a few meters behind them, the green flames parted and quelled, as a tall figure appeared seemingly from nowhere.

Its stag-shaped skull reflected the miasmatic light as the wind roared and raged. Its body was visible only by the hue of the green flames reflected on it.

Morkvind stared at the prey standing inside its old altar. Its pitch black eyes narrowed in a hideously intelligent manner as it realized its offerings were about to escape from the unholy ground.

"Run!" Albus' shout made them all start climbing the slope, before the monstrous Grimm howled and its eerie voice sent shivers down their spine.


	59. Underground Again

**Hello again everyone! ****I hope you are doing as well as possible. **

**Chapter 59 is here. As always, I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thank you all so much for reading/ following/favoring the story- it really means a lot to me and I am really glad to see you appreciate it! **

**Next week I will upload on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, so until then have fun and be well! **

* * *

If one was to listen to the stories about the great huntsmen and huntresses, they would envision teams of smiling, joyful individuals who jumped around killing Grimm and saving the day.

This last year, Yang had been the subject of quite a few displays of idolization herself. Quite the lengthy amount of fans and followers seemed to romanticize the exploits of her team in an idealized way.

Most of the times, Weiss would come to her rescue. Using her natural charms and elegant attitude, she would casually explain such theories were nothing more than misconceptions.

'_**OOOOOOOOOOOO!**_' As the horrendous monster's roar filled her ears and the cold wind snapped her face, Yang took an oath to strongly flick the next person who would ever ask her such a stupid thing.

Next to her, Albus was running like a maniac through the uphill forest. The three faunus girls of the team were a few meters in front of them, dashing madly away from the altar and its green wicked flames.

The trees here were scarcer and save for a few bushes and vines on the ground, nothing else seemed to be around in order to slow them down. "Is it still after us?" Ilia screamed, as Alex opened a small flashlight.

A burst of wind struck them from behind, forcing them to stumble. Albus fell down, but the brawler grabber and dragged him up with one single movement, without breaking her speed.

"I think that's a 'yes'. Keep running!" Alex's voice commented, having lost all of its usual playfulness. Blake, trying to assist the bat-girl in finding any sort of proper path to move away, sped up to reach her.

"Not that I want to accuse you of something, but why aren't you two taking it down?" the chameleon faunus asked as she jumped over a log. Blake simply rolled over it and Alex followed suit.

Albus jumped up and offered his hand to Yang. Grumbling and hoping she would soon find that hyena bastard and retrieve her right arm back, the blonde accepted his offer and let him drag her over the obstacle.

"Are you joking?" Blake reprimanded her friend. "This thing radiates power and malice- don't you remember what it did to the armored car and Blood Moon members?"

Alex jumped forward and cut off a large vine to open a path with her axe. "Blake's right; it is too risky to fight it. One more reason, that we have you three who are wounded and exhausted" she replied.

A gust of wind passed by them again, but this time didn't hit. Rather… "Watch out! Duck to the left!" the raven-haired girl screamed as the Morkvind appeared in front of them.

Alex jumped away, while Blake simply activated her semblance and let her clone get sliced to pieces. The creature rushed forward, aiming for Yang, as Alex turned her light towards Albus' direction.

Tendrils of shadow burst out of the closest trees' shadow and grabbed the Grimm. They contained its large body and pinned it to the ground- for a few seconds. After the initial surprise passed, it simply moved up and destroyed the black restraints.

But those precious few seconds were all its prey needed to gain a few valuable meters. '_**OOOO!**_ 'The stag-shaped maw opened and let out a ferocious screech, as the humans once more quickly ran away from it.

"It can teleport! This damn monster can freaking teleport! I wasn't seeing things back then in the opening!" Yang roared in anger.

"Why didn't it use it from the start to catch us when we fled the altar?" the boy asked next to her. "Less talking- more running!" Blake shouted for the xth time those last days.

"I am tired of running!" Ilia cried. "Feel free to stop; want me to pour you some tea?" Yang commented from behind her. "That would be lovely, thank-" "_ILIA!_"

Blake and Alex's screams were just on time, as a huge array of vines rushed to the chameleon girl from the surrounding trees, throwing snow all over the place.

Ilia rolled forward and activated her weapon, using it to latch to the closest trunk in order to propel her body forward, faster than the branches.

A burst of air appeared once more behind the rest of them and the Morkving materialized. Immediately, the vines lashed towards them.

"Catch!" Alex tossed Nightfall towards Blake, the same moment Albus gave Yang the left part of Ember Celica. Both women grabbed their weapons, appreciating the familiar feeling of wielding them.

"We must cut through- follow me!" Blake rushed forward, away from the Morkvind and towards the sea of vegetation trying to apprehend them. The others had no time to waste and followed suit at once.

The cat-girl whirled the sword's blade, cutting through the vines like knife through butter. Alex's axe cleaved with ease the surrounding branches as well.

Albus' air blasts and Yang's propelled shots from behind them blew the massive appendages away. The four of them kept moving forward, cutting, slicing and blowing up everything in their path.

From the corner of her eye, Blake could see Ilia's form in the dark. She seemed like she was… _waving_ at her? She stopped looking at her next moment, though; as she had to teleport in order to avoid impalement.

"Gah! Why isn't it following us? We should be pretty easy to capture, trekking through the branches like this!" Alex, flashlight still on, screamed.

"Wanna ask it?" Albus replied, blasting off a wave of thorns trying to overcome Yang. "Nah, I am not one to look at a gift horse in the mouth, honey."

Nightfall cut through another wave of vines. Blake took advantage of that and stole a glimpse- wait; was Ilia telling her she found a way out?

"Albus! Do you have enough dust to blow all them away for a few seconds?" "More or less yes. But-" "Do it please. And then run straight after me with everything you have! Ilia has found a path!"

"Ok! Incoming!" the black-and-white haired boy adjusted his staff's output and slammed it on the ground. A huge wave of air dust immediately discharged, blasting the area around it.

Before the blast could envelop them, Albus waved the staff and hurled the energy towards the massive sea of vines and branches in front of them, hurling all of it away in a small makeshift hurricane.

"GO!" Blake screamed and all of them made a mad dash after her. The vines returned and lashed out, but the huntsmen were fast and had a considerable head start.

The two faunus moved as fast as possible, feet barely touching the ground. The humans behind them were equally fast, having significantly better stamina than their partners.

And, after a few seconds, they all saw Ilia's form illuminated by Alex's light. "There is a tunnel straight ahead! We may be able to escape in there!"

"Or get trapped and killed!" Blake shouted. "We don't have a lot of options" Alex retorted, immediately as the entire of the forest around them shook. _**'OOOOOOOOOOOO!'**_

"Shit! RUN FASTER!" Of course something like that was really hard to do since they were already running as fast as they could. Yang gritted her teeth as she saw from the corner of her eye the white skull running towards them.

Then, she looked forward. At this point, they would barely step inside the tunnel before it caught up to them. _Unless…_ An idea flashed though her mind.

"Albus, do you have easy access to fire dust?" she asked, not breaking her pace. "Yes, but-" instead of waiting for an answer, he narrowed his eyes "you are not thinking what I think you are thinking, do you?"

"You always told me I have a booming personality, didn't you?" their friends reached the entrance and stepped in without as much as taking a breath.

The two humans were a little behind, at this point listening to the Morkvind's breath and the sound of its footsteps. Why it didn't teleport again was a mystery, but they had more pressing matters at hand.

"NOW, AL!" A few seconds before it reached them, both humans jumped inside. At once, Albus threw a fire shard towards the roof and Yang punched the wall with all her might.

The three faunus stopped when they saw what their friends were actually doing and ran back. "YANG!" "ALBUS" "ARE YOU MORONS?"

The ceiling collapsed at the entrance and the large Grimm stopped. The cave-in was not massive, but the immense amount of rocks, dirt and snow entirely covered it.

The Morkvind stood in front and sniffed heavily. Its altar had been messed, its sacrifice had gotten away and it was running out of energy from fighting all those pesky huntsmen who refused to die. _**'OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'**_

Leaving a mighty howl once more, the ancient Grimm left the area, trying to find something else to quell its hunger.

Its footsteps echoed even through the sealed entrance, much to the relief of the five people on its other side. "We… did it?" "I think it's safe to say we did. Unless this place has no exit and we just got trapped."

"Nothing we can do now" Blake's voice interrupted Yang and Ilia as she sat down. "Let's get a really short rest here and exchange some information before moving" she turned to Alex and Albus.

"I am so happy to see you two" she smiled. "I take it Ruby is here as well?" Alex nodded "she is picking up Weiss- and probably kicking Carmel's ass as we speak."

A smile, brighter than the bat-girl's flashlight, appeared on Yang's face. "Thank Dust…" the brawler finally allowed the tension leave her body, as she crashed on Albus' arms who struggled to break her fall.

"I am thankful you guys found us" Ilia interjected. "Were you not there to help, we would have been Grimm food. But I have a question; how did you know where were we?" she asked.

As the boy helped Yang sit better to calm her strained muscles, his girlfriend replied. "I may as well tell you about it since we are resting. It all began when we found the remains of Carmel's convoy…"

-o—

A few hours passed with each party resting and taking advantage of the valuable free time they found to share their respective experiences.

Yang, Ilia and Blake were visibly impressed when Alex explained they located them by tailing the spider Grimm and waiting for the perfect chance to strike after they saw Fenris apprehending them.

Oh their part, the three girls recounted how Ilia snack inside Carmel's house on Blake's request the night of the ball and dressed like an armed guard to provide backup if necessary.

"Cham here literally saved our asses" Yang patted a blushing Ilia on the back. "It was all thanks to Blake's tendency to have a plan B; I barely did anything" she replied, slightly embarrassed.

"That barely matters" the mentioned faunus solemnly cut them off, having just woken up from a short nap. "Blakey; did you rest well?" her partner asked, visibly more chipper than before.

"Well, more than the previous days for sure" she rubbed her eyes and cat ears, earning a giggle from Alex "That's so adorableeeee~" the bat girl giggled, making her blush even more than Ilia.

"A-Anyway! We should get going!" the cat-girl jumped up. "I take it you are all ready to move on?" Everyone nodded and slowly got up. "We didn't sleep much, but I feel much better as well" Yang smiled.

Albus and Alex distributed some dust cartridges for their weapons and gave a couple bars to Blake who was the only one who hadn't eaten yet. After that, the makeshift group started moving deeper inside.

The tunnel was as dark as it was cold. Thankfully, despite tattered and bruised, all five of them still had enough clothes to properly deal with it.

As for the darkness, Alex's light and the guidance of the three faunus were more than enough for the two members of the group who lacked night vision.

"Any idea where this is going? Assuming there _is_ a way out of course" Ilia asked after a while. "I can't even start thinking what we might do otherwise."

"Well, judging from the general direction we have been going, it must be leading all the way to Gloomharrow Valley" Alex explained. "Unless the path turns at some point and we lose any sense of direction."

Neither Yang nor Blake who were walking behind everyone else commented. "This is the third time we are visiting some creepy tunnel in the last two months" the brawler whispered in concern.

"You said the exact same thing in Grimmwater" her partner replied. "And I was right about it, wasn't I?" the next question immediately came. "I am sick of getting swept in our enemy's pace, Kitten."

"On that I agree. We have let our adversaries- whoever they are- take control of every situation we have lately found ourselves in. As soon as we are done with this place, we need to have a lengthy discussion about our course of action from now on" the cat faunus exclaimed, earning the blonde's approval.

The tunnel was slowly uphill and made walking a little more taxing than usual. The stone walls and ceiling surrounding them were wet with moisture and-

Alex stopped moving at some point. She had been seeing this for quite a few minutes, but dismissed it as mere shapes made of running water and natural corrosion. But, at this point, she wasn't so sure.

"Alex? Is something the matter?" Albus asked, seeing her stop. "Just give me a few seconds" she replied before turning her attention to the weird patterns her faunus eyes had noticed on the wall.

They were very rough, indicating they had been carved by some sort of primitive tool. But, after examining them closer, she had no doubt about their origins. "There are familiar-looking carvings on the wall."

Everyone else got closer to her, examining the wall as well. She was right; they could see harsh lines, probably carved by a jagged rock or a blunt blade, stretching in great arrays.

"They are like the ones we found on top of the weird monoliths inside the forest!" Ilia stepped back. Blake rubbed her chin. They truly were familiar; Yang had told her that before…

"Holy Shit!" the tall girl's swear made everyone turn towards her. "Is everything all right Yang?" her partner asked. "I just realized why those things look so freaking familiar" she replied.

"The carvings back there in the monoliths and the circles in the ground… their patterns are like Weiss' glyphs guys!" she explained the sudden flash of inspiration that had just hit her mind.

Ilia gasped. Alex and Albus raised an eyebrow and Blake just turned back to the carvings at question. Now that Yang had mentioned it, they truly reminded her of her friend's summoning arrays.

"But what does that mean? Is the Schnee family involved into this?" Ilia asked, visibly confused. "This place is way too old. I bet not even Nicholas Schnee was around when these were made" Albus replied.

"Yeah, but what about before him?" Blake asked. "What do you mean, Blakey?" She licked her lips in nervousness; those things unsettled her for some reason she couldn't completely understand.

"I mean that there may be a connection to Nicholas' ancestors; that's what I mean. After all, let me remind you that Weiss' semblance is hereditary and no one remembers how it came to be" she explained.

"That's a reasonable assumption, but doesn't help us at this point; we should get moving" Albus commented again. All four girls nodded and started walking again.

The patterns continued as the tunnel went deeper and deeper. Stopping only momentarily to check them, the team was more than eager to leave this place behind.

Alex had given her light to the boy quite some time ago, when he decided to accompany her as the vanguard of their formation. Ilia was in the middle and the Bumblebee pair was in the rear.

They carefully but steadily moved, letting the light guide them as it revealed more and more wet stone walls they were forced to trail in order to keep moving.

The uphill nature of the path had faded quite some time ago and they were sure they were moving straight and deeper inside Gloomharrow.

I just hope there is an exit after all that walking… After examining the ceiling, the boy turned his light to the opening- and came face to face with a ferocious-looking lizard head.

"GAAAAH!" everyone jumped back and grabbed their weapons, ready to attack the monster. A dreadful second passed without the head moving at all.

And how could it? A couple seconds later everyone lowered their weapons after realizing they were looking at a very realistic statue.

It resembled a two-legged Grimm with the head of a monstrous lizard and the body of a monstrous human. It was carved on top of a podium that was filled in the glyph-like carvings.

"That scared the life out of me!" the maroon-haired girl gasped as they reached the statue. "What sort of depraved artist carves _that_ into a statue?" Yang added to the girl's complaining.

"Judging from all we have seen, I would say a worshiper" Blake replied calmly. "Remember what Cherry and Fenris both said? Some religious cult has been operating in Remnant; Dust knows for how long."

"That is possible, but on the other hand it would mean Carmel and Fenris are working together and from what has happened so far, I seriously doubt it" the lilac-eyed woman protested.

"Maybe there are many different cults?" Alex asked. "Could be, but I still-" "Sorry to interrupt but you have to come here now" Ilia's voice was heard from behind the statue.

All four of them ran to their friend's aid, passed by the statue- and froze in awe.

The tunnel ended just where Ilia was standing. But what stood beyond it was not the surface- instead, it was a large cavern.

The ceiling was barely visible, an immeasurable amount of meters above them. The interior was rocky and stale, with no vegetation or signs of life, and great monoliths scattered all over the area.

And in the middle, there was an array of stone houses, carefully built around a large building that looked like an ancient temple. A central road seemed to be leading towards it.

It was taller than the other establishments, and had a triangular roof. No details were visible, but Blake swore she could detect some pretty elaborate ornaments all over its walls and pillars.

All these were eerily highlighted by the large green flames burning around the temple. They lit the entire village and dimly illuminated the cave with their sickly light team RWBY had lately come to hate.

The cat girl held her breath. Her heart was pumping as the images of her team sitting next to each other in the rowboat tending to their wounds tried to overwhelm her.

Yang sensed her partner's distress and tenderly rubbed the yellow-eyed girl's shoulder with her left hand. "This is very familiar to us" the blonde explained to their friends "and in a very bad way" she added.

"Still, this is the only place we may find any clue as to what is going on around here" Alex insisted. "If we are lucky enough, we may even find a way out- they can't be having one single entrance for that huge cave."

"She is right" Blake nodded. "Are you-" "Yes, Ilia. Thank you for your concern. You too, Yang" she smiled as the brawler nodded as well and lowered her hand.

"Lead the way Alex; we keep the same formation" Blake announced with determination. The bat girl winked in approval and the team started moving towards the green-lit underground city.


	60. The Second Act of an Ambitious Plan

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are as well as possible! **

**Chapter 60 is here and as always, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Thanks again for following/favoring/ reading the story. I will see you all next Wednesday! Have fun! **

* * *

Despite the always persistent gray clouds and the currently slowly falling snow, day finally dawned and the improved illumination slightly calmed the survivors' nerves.

Carmel facility was almost ruined. The combination of a bandit assault, a heavy blizzard and Grimm attacks had depleted all systems, the backup generator being the last to give in a couple hours ago.

The five surviving members of Carmel's task force that had been accompanying Sophia and Wenge sat next to a large company van Matthew Moose had spent the last few hours repairing, adding as well a small trolley in its back they had scavenged from the destroyed warehouses.

They had been knocked out cold and woken up in the middle of a nightmarish field only to find their boss and her left hand man had abandoned them and ran away with the only up to that point available vehicle.

Not only that, they had been rescued from the remaining Beowolves by their enemies, got supplied with food and water and were now almost ready to be escorted back to Atlas, far away from this nightmare.

Needless to say, all five of them were also deeply ashamed in addition to being terrified and exhausted. One of them turned to the antler man and cleared his throat before finally saying "I know it doesn't mean a-"

"Save it" holding his gun, the faunus grimly replied. "Thank Ruby, not me. She makes the calls here" he pointed towards the only remaining small warehouse, where the two huntresses were getting prepared, making the man nod in approval.

Inside the warehouse, Weiss had just finished her makeshift bath with molten snow. It was subpar at best, but the small satisfied moans she let out while rubbing her skin showed how much she needed it.

After drying off with some fire dust, she tied her hair in a hasty ponytail and moved to pick up the clothes Ruby had provided for her. Said girl was sitting at the corner of the room, back turned at her naked partner.

A red-and-white colored winter military uniform with isotherm trousers and jacket and a heavy red winter coat were Ruby's choice for Weiss. A thick black belt and light track boots accompanied it.

Myrtnenaster was left next to the clothes. Weiss smiled fondly seeing her prized weapon as well as an ample amount of dust to use for it.

"I checked it a few times. Myrtenaster is as good as new; not that I would expect you of all people to not take care of your weapon" Ruby said.

"If only I could take care of my friends the same way" she replied, as she tied Kendrick's white scarf around her neck. Ruby sighed "nobody blames you for his death, Weiss. Or for our current predicament."

The ex-heiress raised an eyebrow "since when do you use the word 'predicament' Ruby Rose?" The brunette raised a glove-covered hand and scratched her nape "it sounds far better when you do it, honestly."

Weiss rolled her eye and buttoned up her jacket, before Ruby spoke again "on another matter; you told me that Fenris was the one who summoned the Valkraghast you fought two days ago?"

"Kendrick told me Fenris has been heavily into occultism lately. He used Carlo Custard's blood to summon it. And, well, I showed you the circle, didn't I?" she replied. "By the way, you can turn around. Thanks."

"It looks like your glyphs a lot. A _scary_ lot" Ruby agreed, while turning to face her. "Red looks good on you!" she opened her eyes in childlike awe, before narrowing them. "Then again, according to Yang, everything looks good on you; especially he-"

"Let's not continue that particularly embarrassing statement, shall we?" Weiss remarked, her lips a thin line, balancing between her current sadness and her ever present urge to laugh at Ruby's antics.

"Anyway" Ruby got the message and returned to the previous topic "the resemblance between the circle Fenris used and the Schnee family semblance is great."

"So is the effect; he may not have been able to control it, but he did summon a Grimm. And a powerful one at that" Weiss agreed. "He possibly amplified it by using…" she made a sound of disgust "_blood_."

The brunette let out a similar sound as her face took a disgusted expression. "Say, Ruby; didn't Dr. Oobleck propose at some point the theory that semblances are the remnants of old magic everyone had?"

A brown eyebrow rose at the question. "What if Fenris is merely using magic for summoning Grimm? And my semblance happens to be what remain of the summoning magic my ancestors once had?"

"But your semblance does other things except for summoning!" Ruby jumped up, secretly happy to see her friend thoughtful once again. "Only when I combine it with dust. And the first one to do so, was-"

"Nicholas Schnee!" Ruby's face lit in recognition. Weiss nodded "when we return to Atlas, we are going to have a trip at the old Schnee family archives."

"Aren't they in your mansion, though? The one we are banned to ever step a foot in?" her friend asked. "And that stopped us, when exactly?" Weiss smirked at her, earning a surprised stare.

"Yang is rubbing off on you, way too much" the girl commented before both of them walked out of the facility.

After a series of apologies and explanations, courtesy of the guards, Weiss and Ruby walked at the back of the van along with Matthew.

Inside it, carefully placed and wrapped, were all the guards' corpses they managed to retrieve from the slaughterhouse the facility had turned into.

Among them, carefully cleaned and tended, wrapped in cloth and placed tenderly on top of a small stretcher they had picked from the medical room, was Kendrick's body encased in ice.

Weiss knelt and gently touched the man's forehead. "I am going to do what I should have from the beginning, Kendrick. And it's all thanks to you that I am still alive and willing to do it."

She blinked her eye to keep the tears at bay. "I will tell Yang and Blake about you; please tell Carlo about me too. And…" she gulped and sniffed, trying to control her flooding emotions.

"Should you meet Winter, tell her I love her. Tell her I am ashamed of what she has been seeing me do this past month. And that I will work even harder to not waste this life both of you saved… thank you… and goodbye, my friend."

After leaving the van, Ruby turned to Matthew. "Thank you for everything. Your hospitality, your delicious food and your information. We wouldn't be able to find each other if not for your help" she smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ruby. And don't worry; I will be sure to relay your message to Councilor Hill's forces" he heartily replied.

"If the rest of the council keeps her back, you will find her in the Happy Huntresses' HQ in Mantle. I am asking too much of you, but-" "I will be fine. I may dislike the big city, but there is no way I will let you down."

They both exchanged a brief hug, as Weiss pointed at the direction of the van while addressing the guards gathered around her.

"You will be a little cramped in the trolley, but it's better than riding with the corpses, am I right?" she asked sweetly, earning a series of quick nods.

"When you reach Mantle, you are to put yourselves under Councilor Hill's orders on my behalf. If, and I mean that more than you imagine, you allow any harm to fall upon either Mr. Moose or Kendrick's body, I will dedicate myself into finding you and making you pay for it."

Five quite audible gulps followed that statement. "Am I understood?" "Yes, Ms. Schnee!" they all replied in unison. "Perfect. Now get in; it's time for you to leave."

After the van left the area, the two huntresses moved towards Ruby's snowmobile. "I am a little worried about them reaching Mantle safe with those things prowling around" Weiss said.

"The only two Grimm in the area are the Morkvind and the Nest" Ruby replied. "And, if both we and Blake's group are moving the right way, they will come after us and leave Mr. Moose's team safe."

"That is logical- and a cause for worry as always" Weiss narrowed her eye. "Welcome back to the team, partner" Ruby giggled as she turned the engine on and drove outside of the opening, leaving the accursed facility forever behind them.

-o—

Blood Moon's encampment was in a state of unrest. All remaining faunus belonging to the Company were running up and down, hastily taking off tents and packing their stuff.

In the middle of the camp, cowl removed, Gray Fenris stood, observing his people. Stella Taupe and Robert Ink, both clad in travel clothing, stood next to him.

"All things considered we shall be ready to leave this place in less than half an hour, Boss" the taupe-haired girl announced. "Excellent. Tell them to make in twenty minutes" he replied.

As the slender girl walked away, he turned to the towering man. "I will be taking the Spot siblings and their team with me. You and Stella are to leave this place with yours and reach our secret hideout in Vacuo."

"You are telling us to abandon you with those morons?" Robert gnarled "we could be of more use to you here." The older man narrowed his eyes before replying.

"You are mistaken, old friend. What I need with me are powerful and disposable soldiers, not you. You and Stella have to run the Blood Moon until we regroup; I would never trust those three to do it."

"That's reasonable. I still don't like it, Gray. You are-" "One step away from performing the true awakening I had been waiting my entire life for, Robert. I _will_ see this through- or die trying. End of the discussion."

The bulky man groaned but nodded in acceptance. "Very well. It shall be done as you wish, old friend. I hope I am not signing your death by agreeing to this" he said before walking away.

_If I succeed, death shall be nothing but a fleeting dream, dear friend_ Fenris thought as he saw his right hand man chastising a few of his underlings for fooling around.

A few hours later, two large jeeps armed with heavy machine guns scaled the road up towards Gloomharrow Valley. Ed and Sen Spot with half of their men were mounted on one, leading the way.

Baz and Fenris with the rest of the team followed behind in the other one. They drove as wildly as they spoke and laughed, smiling at each other all the way in anticipation of the big event Gray promised them.

"I thought the paths up the mountain were filled in Grimm, Boss" one of the men asked. "But this is going smoothly."

The wolf-man stared out of the window. The endless series of pines, half-covered by a thick mantle of snow, greeted him. The ground was as pristine as possible and except for the fog nothing else disrupted the beautiful scenery.

But the old faunus knew that appearances could be truly deceiving. That was especially true for this place, with this thing riding the winds of death blowing over them.

"Arachneas who have lost their Hive will not attack unless provoked. They will stay in hiding until a new one emerges and starts controlling them" he finally replied.

Instinctively, he grabbed his talisman and smirked at the thought of the small rosemary charm sealed inside it "the only thing I consider a threat around here is way behind us now."

This was not a lie. But he knew it was also irrelevant. As long as its magical power was not exhausted, the Morkvind could easily appear anywhere it wished and control anything it wished inside the forest.

_We are so lucky it's still maturing. We have to take advantage of that stroke of luck, before it is too late. _"You mean that thing we sacrificed the traitors to?" Baz smiled.

"Exactly. But even if it finds us, I have the means to deal with it. So, focus on doing your job and don't worry about such things. Let me guide you as you always have."

Ok, _that_ was a lie. He had a few tricks up his sleeve, yes, but he had no guarantee they would work for something that old and powerful the same way they had for the Arachneas.

"I am more concerned about Sophia Carmel and whoever might have survived the attack going after us. She knows about the underground passage to the tomb, so she will try to reach it now that the storm is over."

"Why would she do that when she has already been defeated? Does she think she can take us on her own? Humans are so cocky!" another faunus hissed in anger.

"She is cocky, yes, but her major problem is that she had her wings plugged" Gray chuckled, earning a confused stare from his fellow faunus subordinates.

_Idiots! _"She begun planning for all these having superior resources, much more information than her enemies and subordinates who would sacrifice themselves for her when things would turn awry" he said.

"She came here, thinking she had the upper hand- and lost all her cards one by one, even those she thought to be unbeatable. She has just realized she is very close to losing- and that makes people desperate."

"And desperate people do stupid things…gehehehe" Baz cackled. "Assuming she managed to survive the onslaught, she will be coming after us. This is exactly what I want this amateur to do" Fenris nodded.

The cars roared and after a few minutes stopped as they reached a large opening. The tunnel entrance was there, usually barred with wooden planks and carefully covered by snow and branches.

But this time the wooden planks were loosed and the cover had been scattered around. A snowmobile was parked in front of the tunnel.

"The engine is cold" Sen screamed "but it doesn't mean anything with such cold outside" the hyena faunus added. "I smell perfume, though, Boss" she spat.

"Looks like Ms. Carmel is as tough as she is stubborn" the Blood Moon leader smiled widely and raised his cowl once more. "Let's go. Our preparations are almost done" he exclaimed as he started moving.

-o—

Sophia and Wenge had used this tunnel quite a few times in the past couple years they had spent studying the Eldergrimm sealed under Gloomharrow.

Sophia knew ordinary Grimm didn't even bother getting closer to the place; the aura emanating from Alginos, even in its sealed state, was enough to repel all inferior predators.

She also had a solid reason to think Gray hadn't gotten ahead of them. The tunnel had been sealed and there were no foot or hand prints around it. Luck seemed to be on her side for once.

But, all things considered, she couldn't fight the impeding anxiety that loomed over her as they ran past the walls, ignoring their ancient carvings, her Goliath-headed talisman hung over her neck.

She hated not being in control! She hated having so many unexpected variables in her plan, despite having spent so many years thinking it over and over and over again!

Fenris, team RWBY… all of them had been carefully accounted for! Her men had been carefully picked, to deal with bandits and Schnee should protect her from any threat they couldn't!

And yet… all it took was for a never-seen-before Grimm to turn her well thought plan to ashes. She really needed a smoke right now- or to punch something that was not Wenge.

_Speaking of him… _"You are awfully quiet; what's the matter?" she asked the handsome man running by her side, his pistol at his hand.

"I don't like how we not only left Schnee behind us despite coming back to help us, but we also abandoned our men in the middle of a haunted forest as well, Sophia" he replied, a little reluctantly.

She suddenly stopped and he followed suit. Brilliant almond eyes glared at him. "Schnee and Rose will take care of them. We had one chance to get the snowmobile and leave while the faunus was preoccupied and we took it. Our mission takes priority; simple as that" she stated.

"I know, I know" he raised his hands to ease her frustration. "It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, Madam." Sophia's glare hardened and she took one step towards him.

"How come you didn't exert such conscience when you were fucking my mother behind my father's back, Mr. Knight?" she asked him, making the man's eyes open wide in shock.

"You… you knew?" he asked her. How long had she been aware of this? And why hadn't she told him anything until now?

"I had my suspicions" she replied, her glare not dropping. "You were a young and handsome man, who happens to be especially weak to gorgeous women."

He averted his eyes. "And she was a gorgeous woman without a shred of morality who enjoyed getting everything she wanted; mostly men. It would greatly surprise me if she hadn't seduced you to begin with."

"Sophia, I…" "Let's go. And don't apologize. I grew past this phase quite a few years ago" she replied and started running once more, the man following her with his pride crushed and his head dropped.

As the tunnel ended, they both laid eyes upon the underground city. It was exactly as they remembered it. Its small stone houses and large central road leading to Alginos' mausoleum were still there.

The large structure was surrounded by green flames. _Fenris must have created them when he first came here_, Sophia thought, remembering Dahlias could do the same thing.

They walked inside the temple and made haste for the central hall. Everything still seemed the same- even Prof. Azure's barrels containing the important concoction were hidden exactly where she had left them.

Everything was still the same. _Thank Dust!_ "Help me with the barrels, Wenge. We have to move them to the burial chamber."

"Are you going to perform the ritual, Sophia?" the man stared at her in disbelief. "Of course I am. Even a forced awakening is much better than allowing this bandit to control Alginos."

"And what if you can't control it?" he asked. "I will let it loose to take down as much of our enemies as possible. Simple as that" she replied as the man moved the first barred to the innermost chamber.

And then, both of them froze. Up until now, everything seemed the same, except for the flames. Heck, even the barrels were there and the doors closed!

That was why, when they stepped inside the room and found that the ancient granite sarcophagus Alginos had been buried into had been shattered and emptied, Sophia couldn't stifle a horrified scream.

_What- what? Where is the Eldergrimm? Who- WHO RELEASED THAT THING? _


	61. Harrow Village

**Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing fine! **

**On my part, I am exhausted. Just finished my IELTS exams and I now am waiting for the results. **

**Despite that, I managed to finish ch. 61 in time. I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thanks one more time for following/ favoring/ simply reading the story. I will see you next week! **

* * *

"There are jags and glyphs all over this monolith as well" Blake stood up from examining the tall stone in the middle of the dimly-lit cavern. "The pattern is the same as the previous ones" she told her friends.

"Including the one we found in the forest that makes six of them" Ilia said, gulping. "Think there is a meaning to their number?" Yang asked the chameleon girl. "No, just force of habit; don't mind it" she replied.

Alex and Albus were a few meters behind them, keeping guard. "This place is as creepy as one can get" the boy told his girlfriend.

"Yeah; but we have been through worse. Remember Salem's castle?" she tried to comfort him. "This is nothing more that the eerie lair of an ancient Grimm." He turned at her, eyes deeply narrowed.

"You really suck at comforting people, honey" he remarked. The girl replied by sticking her tongue out in a playful manner "it works for you, doesn't it?"

"Well, it does break the tension, that's for sure" he tenderly smiled at her, just as the three girls walked closer. "Same as usual" Blake told them. "Nothing solid to get information from."

"That's unfortunate" Alex replied, before turning her face to the small village. "We are only a few hundred meters away from the place; I think we just make a straight line for it at this point."

"Well, I can't object to that" the cat-girl told her. "Be extra careful; we don't know whether this place has any residents, human or not" she added, drawing her sword, the magma-colored blade shining in the miasmatic light.

Everyone drew their weapons and nodded, before silently moving after her. It didn't take them long to reach the village and take a better look at the first houses.

They were truly small, without any additional floors than the ground one. They were made of dark stone and had flat roofs without tiles. The doors and small windows were wooden and totally shut.

"Blakey" Yang addressed her friend. "It's your call, partner; what should we do?" The yellow-eyed girl looked at the temple, towering over the village, dying the houses and them in the abhorrent sickly green light.

"Let's check a couple houses before we reach the tomb" she replied. Everyone but Yang turned and looked at her. "What tomb are you talking about?" Ilia asked.

"I think it's obvious at this point and safe to assume this temple-like building is an Eldergrimm Tomb" she replied, making them open their eyes in horror.

"The weird runic pattern is all over the place, the green flames feel too familiar and this entire village is filled with small houses that seem to be built for the mere purpose of offering a temporary establishment."

"You mean like- no, that can't be- a pilgrimage area?" Albus stared at her disbelief. "You are telling me Blake that people used to come from all over the continent to this place in order to _pray_ of all things?"

"It's just a hypothesis, ok?" she replied. "But I think spending a few minutes to check the houses for anything to prove or deny that could be useful to us."

"I can't disagree with that, at least" he nodded in approval. "Ok, what are waiting for-" Yang made a flexing motion with her arm, but the black-haired beauty glared at her.

"No, Yang. We are not bursting in like that. If you would mind to-" the heavy screech of a door opening made all of them turn around and get their weapons ready to intercept any possible attack.

There was no attack, however. Only Alex, standing in front of the nearest house's door, having just opened it; probably with the help of the small wire she had in her hand.

"What?" she shook her shoulders "You spent too much time talking that I got bored! Besides there was no way we wouldn't do this to begin with!"

Letting out a small laugh at the albino woman's simplicity, Yang winked at her. Alex returned the favor the exact moment Blake stepped inside the house.

"Alex and Ilia, would you please guard the perimeter?" she asked them, earning a quick nod of approval. Yang and Albus had already stepped in after her, the boy's flashlight dimly illuminating the interior.

"Hmm…" still having superior vision, Blake took in her surroundings. It was a single-room house, with a simple-looking bed in an advanced state of decay, a small bathroom and some rotten pieces of furniture.

The only preserved part was a small stone table at the corner of the room. There seemed to be a series of weird-looking items on top of it. Yang stepped closer, to take a better look. She narrowed her eyes.

"Did you find anything?" Albus was heard from behind her. "Well" she said "a rusty old dagger, some rotten books, a broken mirror, a series of rusted utensils and _this_" Yang turned at them, holding a small statue.

It depicted the same Grimm as the statue they had met in the tunnel- a humanoid-looking beast with the head of a monstrous lizard. It clearly was the work of a very talented sculptor who had paid great attention to detail, giving an eerie, almost living touch in the small figurine.

Albus examined it and returned it back to the blonde woman. "This is shaping to be quite like Ruby's horror games" he exclaimed. "I hope I don't play the 'bimbo who dies first' trope" she replied, half-joking.

Meanwhile, Blake had finished a quick investigation of the house. There was nothing else; no hidden room, no storage room, no guest room, nothing. And what drew her attention more was…

"This is Spaceship Yang XL speaking! Remnant Station Belladonna, can you hear me?" her partner's theatrical voice cut off her trail of thought and made her turn with a loud groan.

"Yang, we have discussed this particular phrasing! It wasn't funny the first time, it wasn't the next one hundred times and it surely as Dust isn't now!" she complained.

"To be fair, we did call you a couple times before she had to use this… whatever it is supposed to be" the black-and-white haired man next to her explained.

"There is no excuse for this atrocity" she rolled her eyes, before she took the small idol, examined it and returned it to Yang who put it in her backpack.

"I am sure Dr. Oobleck and Weiss' colleagues at the lab will be drooling to test it" the girl merely said. "I wanted to take the books too, but they are beyond any repair."

Deciding to let the last notion she had about this place go until she had the chance to check other houses as well, the yellow-eyed girl nodded. "Let's go check a couple more; there is something I need to confirm."

The three of them walked outside and closed the door behind them, before regrouping with the others and moving to another one of the small rock establishments.

-o—

Silent and as careful as possible, Gray and his men carefully walked the tunnel towards the cave. "I don't get it Boss; aren't we supposed to be in a hurry?" one of his henchmen said.

"Being careful to avoid any unpleasant surprises is quicker than blindly rushing forward to the unknown, you idiot" he spat. The rest of the men grumbled, visibly eager to hunt and slaughter their enemies.

"Didn't you hear him? Less talking, more stalking!" Sen roared from ahead. Fenris grinned. This team consisted of fools and half-paranoid killers, but at least Sen knew how to command them, he would admit.

Walking next to him was Ed. He was holding his kukri, smiling like an idiot. From his belt hung a large piece of finely tuned and processed metal- Yang Xiao Long's mechanical arm.

"Is there any reason you decided to take _this_ with you?" he asked the lunatic. "You told me I could, Boss; it's a rare treat to find a limb I can't exactly chew off" he licked his lips.

The wolf-man didn't reply. He actually didn't mind. As long as he was the one to select who their owners would be, Ed was free to chew off any pieces of meat his sadistic heart desired.

"We are almost at Harrow Village, Boss" Baz's voice sounded from ahead of them "I can see the green flames you lit a week ago!"

"Everyone; stop here" he commanded, pleased to say not even one dared disobey his orders. "Sen, take three men with you and scout the area. Inform us of anything unusual you see."

"Yes Boss. You three" she pointed at some of her henchmen "follow me. And stay silent" she emphasized, before leading them out of the tunnel and into the large cave.

About an hour later, the small team returned. "Boss, I have some bad news for you" the hyena-woman growled. He didn't reply, instead cracked his fingers in a predatory manner.

Realizing it was him telling her to spill the beans Sen continued "there are no signs of Carmel or any of her men, around the place. The only smell I could detect of her perfume came out of the Mausoleum."

"That is not a bad thing; if anything, it will make capturing her faster" he remarked with a flat, emotionless voice. "I take it something else has happened as well then?"

She hissed in anger before answering "Xiao Long and the two filthy traitors are alive; they are with two other huntsmen and searching the village as we speak."

A series of loud hisses and angry curses spread around him. _They escaped the Morkvind? It looks like team RWBY lives up to its reputation a lot more that it should, after all._

He stood up, making all the growls and hisses stop merely by standing. "You four go back and guard the entrance; make sure to inform us if anything goes wrong on your part."

"You three" he turned and pointed at the faunus who accompanied him at the jeep "are coming with me to the Mausoleum now."

They quickly jumped up and got ready to leave, as Gray turned to Sen. "You and your siblings take the rest of the team and go after the filthy traitors and their human friends. I take it I can trust you with that?"

Everyone grinned in excitement and satisfaction, before Sen replied licking her lips "yes, Boss."

-o—

After visiting a few houses, the five huntsmen had stopped their search and walked towards the temple, along the main road. Alex's slow and steady humming accompanied them, before Blake started talking.

"Our findings so far indicate this was truly a temporary establishment. That is quite easy to deduce from the lack of personal touch in all houses we searched and them having the bare minimum facilities necessary for one to live."

"In addition" Albus continued "every single house had a religious statue of some sorts, depicting that lizard-headed Grimm. It looks your theory of religious pilgrimage is gaining ground."

"That is true" she replied, after taking a few glances around. "There is one more theory I would like to propose as well" the cat-girl added, raising her voice to be sound above the humming.

"You are talking about the lack of light systems in all houses we have so far checked, don't you?" Yang asked her. Blake smiled and nodded in quick approval of the girl's observation skills.

"I am impressed you noticed, Yang" she replied. "Well, the houses seem primitive to me, but first I dismissed them as being too old" the brawler shrug her shoulders. "Then I saw they didn't have anything."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" visibly confused, Ilia asked. "It means they lack any source of light- there is no fireplace, no signs of a torch holder or chandelier, not even lamp remains" Blake explained.

"Oh I see…" Ilia's eyes lit in recognition. "And what does that mean?" she asked Yang, who shrugged her shoulders again. "I only noticed it; don't ask me- the brains of the team is that way" she joked.

"Faunus" Albus rolled his eyes, almost as quickly as Blake. Alex's humming stopped for a second, before resuming it as they stopped in the central plaza to let her take in as much of the area as possible.

"This place is dark 24/7. The only reason to not have light appliances is to not need them at all. And as far as I know, the only people in the world who can see in low light like this with no problem are faunus."

"You mean…" gray eyes opened in disbelief "that this place was built and used by our people?" The black-haired huntress nodded "you were unconscious when Gray said it, but Yang should remember."

"You and every other faunus who walked away from the Old Ways to become more civilized, are not the same species as us" the blonde girl quoted. "He also called humans an elaborate offering to the Gods."

_An ancient cult of faunus worshipping the Grimm…_ it wasn't the first time these days Blake was reminded of Cherry. But, no matter how much she thought, she couldn't put the powerful fox-girl next to the sly wolf. They were so mismatched; she could only think they were forced-

"Hey guys" Alex's humming stopped. "Some people are up to us, skulking in the shadows and crawling towards this place. They seem to be armed, if my semblance is right."

Everyone tensed. "Don't grab your weapons just yet" Blake whispered "and act as casually as possible." Yang cracked her fingers "that goes without saying, but-" "AAAAAAAHHHH!"

The sound came from inside the temple and echoed across the entire village. It was the scream of a woman, but its tone indicated no horror or pain. Rather, it was- "someone's really angry it seems" Yang said.

-o—

It was a piece of cake, locating the five unsuspecting fools casually talking in the middle of the street. Sen's team may be unorthodox and not good in taking orders, but they excelled in hunting down prey.

They carefully walked through the abandoned alleys and narrow roads, crawling and skulking as the sickly green light reflected on their outfits.

They didn't mind, of course. If anything, the shades cast by the flames helped their camouflage and the eerie feeling enhanced their primeval instincts. This hunt would definitely be a glorious one.

The female faunus saw Baz slowly enter an open window. Her brother always amazed her with how he could walk around so silently with his gun strapped on his back.

On the other hand, the house was perfect. The door was slightly open, so when the battle commenced it would take him a couple seconds to kick it open and shower those fools in high-caliber bullets.

Ed was on the opposite side, his group having made a small circle to attack from behind after their enemies would focus their defense on her side.

The faunus accompanying them were also pretty skilled in skirmishes and trench warfare, despite not being so good in open combat. She grinned, as she smelled- _wait, their tension just rose!_

"AAAAAAAH!" a voice from inside the temple, full of anger and hatred made the hyena woman curse. _It must be that bitch Carmel, shit!_ She quickly raised her arm, keeping her anxious underlings in check.

This could prove an even better distraction! If they focus on the temple, they will be even more defenseless than before! She sniffed the air and stared back at them- and saw Belladonna and Amitola run away.

"GET THEM!" she screamed, as in a single moment the black-haired woman saw her perfectly-planned hunt go to hell.

-o—

_A few seconds earlier_

"Who did that scream belong to?" Ilia asked, still not giving away the fact they were aware of Sen's team. "It wasn't Weiss or Ruby; that much I can tell" Yang quickly replied.

"Our enemies aren't moving at all; they are waiting to ambush us as soon as we let our guard down" Alex added. "By the way, one of them has your arm, Yang. Unless he carries a normal severed hand with him."

"Is that so?" she narrowed her eyes. "Can I leave them to you?" Blake whispered. I am taking Ilia and going to the temple- before it is too late." Three nods were her answer, but she didn't even wait for them.

The two faunus suddenly turned around and started running up the street, towards the great temple. She knew there was no need for worry here- her friends could easily deal with their enemies.

No, what worried her most as gunfire erupted from behind them and she ran up the stairs with Ilia next to her, was them being too late to stop whatever Carmel or Fenris were doing inside the ancient tomb.

Down in the middle of the road, Yang rushed to the back of their formation, after the one guy Alex assumed had been holding her arm.

"I am leaving the others to you guys!" she propelled her body forward with a blast from Ember Celica and landed in a small side road.

Six armed faunus stared at her with sadistic grins all over their faces. They opened wide, trying to surround her, revealing another one of their kind- one who was familiar to Yang.

He was laughing at her in a wicked manner, holding a pair of kukri in his arms. He had a protruding jaw and long tongue, with dark spots all over his skin.

Yang's eyes narrowed. Her arm was hanging from his belt, like a trophy. His gaze followed hers, as he knelt _and licked it_, dripping saliva all over the metal joints.

"Are you for real?" Yang made a disgusted face. "I am getting second thoughts about getting it back, now." He grinned widely and stood up, before shouting at his men "kill her; and take your time."

She assumed a boxing stance, as the six men raised their weapons at her. She sighed and controlled her breathing. "Ok, bring it on. I have quite the frustration to take out on you, at least."

Out in the open street, Alex had just finished providing cover fire for Ilia and Blake. Their enemies were inside the narrow alleys, behind the small house-

As soon as the door opened, it took her and Albus less than a couple seconds to jump away. She was really grateful for that, as the large hyena faunus standing at the door emptied his Gatling gun at them.

Bullets flew, literally annihilating every single object they came across. The bat girl and her partner rolled to their right, hiding behind another house, leaving a trail of smoking holes behind them.

"Ok, I didn't expect that" she said as the sound of footsteps coming closer filled the street. "We have to deal with the Gatling- unless we do so eye contact with them is impossible!" Albus agreed.

She nodded and bit her lip in a comical manner. "Hey, love; I think I can get behind them; will you find a way to keep the Gatling away from me?" she asked her boyfriend.

Black eyes filled with determination as he replied "as if my life depends on it" he assured her. "On my way then" she gave him a quick peck on the lips and ran towards the back of the road, trying to be as stealthy as possible.

Albus charged his staff. Whispering to five, allowing them to come even closer, he gripped it and then rushed out in the open, instantly blasting in front of him with a swing filled in air dust.


	62. A Feast for the Eons

**Hello everyone! How are you? I hope you are all doing fine! **

**Chapter 62 is up! I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thanks one more time for following/ favoring/ simply reading the story. I will see you all next week!**

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The loud scream echoing from inside the Mausoleum sounded like music to Gray's ears. He raised his cowl and stared at his men who were slowly walking, all three having drawn their weapons already.

Having near-perfect visibility, moving inside the main hall was a piece of cake. Spotting their targets was also pretty easy; Carmel was fuming and growling as loud as a charging Boarbatusk.

He signaled the others to stay put, as they reached the burial chamber and hid just behind the open doorframe. He wanted to get her, that was true, but enjoying her desperation was a treat on its own as well.

"When was the last time we received a report from the tomb, Wenge?" her voice was rasp and hard, probably strained from screaming. "Three weeks ago, Ms. Carmel" he replied, making Fenris grin.

"I" she put as much emphasis behind her words as possible "want you to tell me there is no way the report would be tampered or that your men lied to us! PROMISE ME!" she screamed, making his men flinch.

"Sophia" Wenge replied "please come down; you are going hysterical!" A loud metal sound was immediately heard, as Carmel kicked one of the barrels "DAMN IT! WHY DOES LUCK LOVE SCREWING WITH ME?"

"Do you think Gray's men released it?" he asked, trying his best to turn this into a productive conversation. "How would they do that? This thing needs at least six barrels and a sacrifice to be awakened!"

"I believe I have the answer to this" Fenris' men stepped in, pointing their guns towards the two humans. "WEAPONS DOWN AND HANDS IN THE AIR!" they told them, forcing them to begrudgingly comply.

The wolf faunus gently walked in, relishing the expression of fear and hatred on the Atlesian's face. "You!" Carmel spat. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sophia Carmel. I take it this gentleman is?"

"Why would I even bother tell you my name?" Wenge replied. "Ah, I don't care; I just wanted to be civil. Well, anyway, before I leave you to my men's tender graces, there was one thing I wanted to ask."

"I will not dignify you with any response" Sophia seethed. "Oh, I think my question is of some interest to you as well; how did you convince Dahlias to work with you?" Fenris asked, making the woman flinch.

"What? What do you mean? Dahlias had been a member of the circle for quite a few years already! I had nothing to do-" "Yes, I know that" he cut her off, narrowing his eyes.

"But it seems to me you are not aware of his true nature, if you don't get the point of my question, Ms. Carmel." Almond-shaped eyes slightly opened in confusion, making the taller man grin.

"I think we have some time, so let me tell you a story before you give me your answer" he walked to the front, besides his men, without giving Wenge or Sophia the chance to interrupt him.

"It was about 15 years ago, I think, in the faunus volunteer hospital in Mantle. There was a young human doctor there, going by the name of Dahlias, acting as the emergency doctor of the facility."

Sophia's eyes narrowed as he continued "he was an orphan with no relatives, but that didn't bother him. In fact, it helped him pull the worst shifts in the hospital without any problem.

In addition, he had no friends; he was shunned by the humans for being around faunus and hated by the faunus for being human. Needless to say, he lived a very boring life, centered on his work. Until one day…"

Sophia could swear she felt a slight fondness on his voice for a moment "… one day, two Specialists brought him a top-secret patient; a wolf faunus, accused of performing a series of ritualistic murders. He was on the verge of dying and had to be treated in order to be interrogated."

Sophia gasped "that was you" she blurted, making a smile grow on his lips "he saved my life without a second thought, as if I were a normal patient. I stayed under his care for three months to get better and…"

"And?" the caramel-colored woman was now really curious "we grew to be friends; Dahlias talked to me at his spare time and I told him stories of my life and of places that I had been for my pilgrimage."

"You- what?" That was Wenge. "Pilgrimage of what?" The wolf-man's feral green eyes shone "of this" he pulled his Ursa talisman out of his robe, effectively freezing the blood in both human's veins.

"This is…" the woman whispered "before you ask, it is not Dahlias'. It was mine and I lent it to him for as long as he interacted with all of you people. I just took it back when he didn't need it."

He licked his lips in delight, savoring their visible confusion "back on track, I am sure you know of the fire, courtesy of the White Fang, with the gentle support of the SDC that claimed all lives in the hospital" he narrowed his eyes "including the two Specialists watching over me."

Carmel gasped "with their death, nobody even knew you were there and the higher-ups suspected you were dead; nobody would look for you. You were lucky."

He opened his palms in mock conceding "Dahlias and I were the sole survivors and we both were unregistered since the hospital was not keeping any employees' files for volunteers. The will of the Gods, one could say.

To not keep you hanging that much, we became partners; he taught me anything I know about human and faunus anatomy and I taught him everything he knew about magic and the cult of the Old Ways."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit the woman "he was acting in your stead; that was why you knew everything about the cult and this place! Dahlias had been working for you since he joined the circle!"

"Exactly" he replied in satisfaction "I am glad to see you are as sharp as I thought you to be." "Wait a second" Wenge shouted "if you two were partners, why did you kill him? Why did you do this to your friend?"

For the first time since they started talk, Fenris' eyes narrowed and he took a serious expression. "Oh, I will tell you, but first I want to take my time and explain to you two exactly how bad you situation is."

"What? Why would you even bother doing that?" Wenge asked again. Fenris smiled and licked his lips "for pleasure, my dear, stupid human" he replied, savoring once more their horrified reaction.

"You see, I want to see your expression when you realize how foolish your actions were and how much on the palm of my hand you have been dancing all along- your despair will be the utmost pleasure."

-o—

Ilia and Blake tiptoed through the large open door- a pair of heavy stone slabs, kept on the walls by a series of golden hinges. There was very little light, coming from the outside, but it mattered little to them.

They walked a short, yet wide, corridor, filled with primitive-looking carvings and wall paintings. Despite their lack of technique and their unquestionably old age, though, the themes were simple enough.

The Lizard-headed Grimm was depicted in all its greatness, standing on top of the temple, surrounded by offerings of gold, animals and- they shut each other's mouth to stifle a gasp of horror- humans and faunus.

The ones offering the tributes horrified them almost as much; they all wore long leather robes with tribal patterns and thick hides, possibly for the extreme cold, and adorned them with religious pendants.

The problem, however, was not that. It was the fact that even under the low light and the amateurish design, the cat-girl could easily see all the images depicting the Grimm's followers had animal features!

"You were right…" Ilia whispered at her friend. "They were faunus who built this place… and they worshiped… _this!_" the yellow-eyed girl close her eyes and hung her head.

She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to accept it! Her people, her fellow faunus… worshipped an Eldergrimm! Even worse; they- they offered living beings to be devoured by it!

"I wished I was wrong… I prayed I was wrong…" she touched the wall to overcome the wave of dizziness that hit her. "Blake…" her friend stood next to her and touched her back.

"Even after the White Fang … I thought that we- the faunus would never do something that horrible. I wished that Gray and Cherry were the odd ones, but… this is just… shameful doesn't begin to describe it."

She pointed towards the cold stone. "Are there my ancestors depicted in this? Or yours? Or Sun's? Are there Velvet's or Alex's? Or maybe all of them?"

"Blake…" Before Ilia could even form a cohesive answer on her mind, though, the black-haired beauty took a couple deep breaths.

"I can't believe that at some point I nearly hit Weiss for something as stupid as human or faunus superiority" she chuckled bitterly and stared at the maroon-haired girl "what a child was I being back then."

"You just wanted the best for us- nobody can blame you for that. And I am sure Weiss doesn't at least" she blurted. Blake shook her head "we must move- I wasted us enough time here" she forced herself.

Ilia nodded and they moved through the corridor into the main hall. The carvings and paintings continued there, some of them a little more elaborate than the previous ones.

The room was large and square, with two sets of pillars supporting the ceiling. In the middle, a large statue of the Lizard headed Grimm stood, the sculptor showing it as if bound by chains inside a half-closed coffin.

Just below it, there was a massive altar, with another carved image on its base; albeit this one being created by someone considerably more skilled than any other inside this place.

It showed two scenes; one where armed humans were shown to hunt down and kill faunus and another one where the faunus were praying around the temple, along a field of the same humans' corpses.

_So, they were hunted down by humans to the point of reaching out to Grimm for help_ Blake's eyes opened wide. _But… it makes no sense; this thing is supposed to be sleeping. How did it protect them from enemies? _

"Blake" Ilia's whisper made her turn around and stare towards the back of the room where her friend seemed to have found something.

There were a few openings on the room's left and right, leading to the rest of the building, but the most interesting part was a smaller one behind the monstrous statue that was slightly illuminated.

"There is a small staircase leading down" the chameleon faunus told her as she walked next to her. They exchanged a stare and descended the stairs, their backs on the wall and their steps as light as feathers.

When they reached the end, the small illumination showed an open door, inside from which both of them could hear voices. "-your despair will be my utmost pleasure." They immediately recognized Fenris' one.

"You sick bastard!" _That was Carmel!_ Blake and Ilia stood just beside the doorframe, taking a small peek at the scene inside.

Their eyes opened wide, seeing Fenris and three more faunus holding Wenge Knight and Sophia Carmel at gunpoint, in front of a trashed and emptied sarcophagus!

_No, were we too late? And where are Ruby and Weiss?_ Blake thought, as Gray started speaking again. "Now, you are not one to talk, Ms. Carmel. The only thing that you care for is Alginos, isn't it?" He smiled.

"Where is Alginos? How did you free it?" Sophia asked, making Blake and Ilia's hearts momentarily stop. The rest of the faunus kept steady and didn't even flinch before the wolf-man replied.

"I didn't free it. Alginos never left this place at all, Ms." he cackled. His henchmen laughed heartily, clearly enjoying the confused expression she took. Unknowingly to them, Blake and Ilia had the exact same one.

"Then where is-" "It is dead. I fed it to the Morkvind." And that was it. He said it so calmly, so easily, stated it as if the Eldergrimm was a fish being fed to a shark. Needless to say, everyone stared at him in shock.

"You are messing with me aren't you?" Sophia gulped. There was no way she was going to accept this. There was no way this had truly happened! There was NO WAY AN AVERAGE GRIMM COULD EVER-

"Alginos' nature was unstable to begin with" the terrorist explained, his face totally serious. "When Salem sealed it, it was nearly dead. The only thing keeping it stable was her ancient power."

She groaned. "Lies! My men would-" "They only traced its presence which was due to the massive pool of dark energy it had been reduced to as Salem's power faded away. Of course, you had no way to know, since you were too cautious to open the coffin yourself" he smirked.

"But I am not like you- I could feel the mausoleum's lack of energy. I had no way to know, but I sensed something was amiss. Alginos was no more; the only thing left of it was a vast amount of eldritch power."

He continued, ignoring the painful gaze the woman sent him "and then, a miracle happened. A few weeks ago I found a Grimm, powerful and old enough to brave the mausoleum with a little guidance on my part.

But what I expected was simply to see it claim the area for itself; Aegis was already under its control for eons and I wanted to see it claim this place too- I would never had expected to see it tear the coffin apart and feast on the Eldergrimm's remains. That was… marvelous at least."

Sophia felt her legs give away. This- this was the entity she had based her plan on? This was the main piece in her chess board? The major player she would use to subdue the entire nation of Atlas? _Nothing?_

She nearly crashed down, when Wenge ran to her side and supported her, glaring at the older man. "Now this is an expression I simply can't get enough of" his eyes were gleaming as he appraised them.

"YOU SICK BASTARD! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HER?" The three faunus walked to them and hit Wenge on the head with the rifle's butt.

"Shut up, filthy human!" they stood towering over Sophia, looking at her with satisfied smirks on their faces.

"To answer the question, I killed Dahlias because he lied to me; he hid the fact that he told Sophia of the mausoleum and the tomb" Gray said.

"So, my question is simple; how did you convince him to betray me? Did you sleep with him? Did you bribe him? Did you torture him? Or was it something else? I am both sad and impressed of the outcome."

Sophia raised her chin. Tears ran down her eyes as she saw Wenge on the floor, holding his head. "Who gives you the right to talk to me like you know anything about me? You KNOW NOTHING OF ME!"

"Silence you bitch!" a faunus tried to hit Sophia, but stopped. Her gaze fell on them, engulfing them in a pleasant euphoria. Her shining almond eyes became their world; nothing else mattered to them anymore.

"Kill that asshole!" without hesitation, the three men turned towards their previous leader. Behind the door, Blake nodded towards Ilia to get ready- as soon as one side emerged victorious, they would act.

-o—

Fenris jumped to the right, avoiding the hail of bullets. One of the men jumped towards him, using his rifle as a makeshift club to bludgeon him with. He rolled forward and ducked behind the coffin's remains to avoid the gunfire coming from the other two.

"Where is your superiority now, you bastard!?" Carmel screamed. He licked his lips as he felt the men coming closer. _I must have hit a nerve somehow, huh? Well that makes things even more fascinating!_

For the first time since they had come to this forsaken land, Gray used his aura and pumped his semblance. Power swelled through his body. He felt his muscles grow and fill, as thick gray fur covered his arms.

_That should be enough for those three _his claws grew longer and his canines got sharper. He exhaled deeply as his former subordinates got to him and raised their weapons to shoot.

Their leader, however, was fast. He grabbed the closest one, twisted the weapon off his hands and put his body in front of him the moment the others opened fire. "NO! WAIT! NOOOOOO!"

The man's life ended almost immediately, as his comrades' guns didn't stop soon enough and filled his body with smoking bullet holes. Then, Gray threw him on the second and jumped at the third.

The faunus was strong and armed, but at this form there was no way for Fenris to lose. He jumped at his left side and sliced his abdomen with his claws, forcing the man to stumble.

Before he could retreat, the ferocious wolf man grabbed his jaw and sliced his throat open, making sure to snap his neck as well. The bloody corpse fell down with a sickening _thud_.

"Protect me!" Sophia screamed at her only remaining vassal, as Fenris ran towards her with immense speed. The poor man barely managed to ran between them-only to die both to Gray's claws and Sophia's gun.

The two of them stared at each other, Fenris with his back to the door and Carmel with her handgun aiming at him. "So, that's the answer; you have the ability to brainwash people" he said.

The woman narrowed her beautiful eyes "how does it feel; knowing that you killed your friend for no reason?" she stared at the blood that dripped down his claws "but I take it you are used to such things."

"Like any of you two have the right to talk" a soft, firm voice replied as Blake blinked at the man's back, Nightfall's blade pointed at his neck.

At the exact same moment, Ilia appeared just behind Carmel. One quick slap threw the gun off her hand and another one wrapped it around her chest "don't even talk- we are tired of listening to you" she threatened.

"Blake and Ilia… persistent like cockroaches" Fenris commented. "Save it for someone who cares about your opinion" the yellow-eyed beauty replied, being cautious to not make eye contact with Sophia.

"You are both horrible criminals; you shall be properly trialed in Atlas. It is over for you." "Heh; I am looking forward to it. If you can pull it that is" Gray smiled, seeming to enjoy every single moment of this.

Sophia on the other hand trembled in anger. "What gives you the right to judge me, you hypoc-" she stopped, feeling Ilia's grip tighten. "Say one more word to her and I will knock you out" she hissed.

And then, the weapon released her. It all happened in a single moment- all three faunus in the room fell down, gasping and panting, as if they had been overwhelmed by exhaustion all of a sudden.

Sophia didn't even get confused. She knew exactly what had happened, even before she saw Wenge standing up, his body tremble and shake from the overuse of his power.

"Ms. Carmel… Sophia" he smiled at her "I am sorry for everything I have done to your family- I really wish I could take it all back." Blake used her sword to stand, but her movements were slow and tired.

"Go!" the dark-skinned man told his boss. "Get out of here; somewhere safe where you can lay low for a while!" She stared at him only for a single moment before turning her head.

"It has been a pleasure, Mr. Knight" she told him, before she ran out of the room and up the staircase, trying her best to fight the sadness that filled her heart.

She ignored the fighting sounds that came from below and rushed out in the main room. She passed Alginos' statue and made a straight line for the corridor-

Sophia gasped. A girl was standing there, blocking her escape route, next to three knocked out members of the Blood Moon. She wore a white-red winter military uniform and held a thin, elegant rapier.

Her hair was tied up, its pure platinum-white color being a perfect match for her alabaster skin. She was missing her left eye. Along with her outfit and ethereal image, she looked like a ghost.

To her, it _was_ a ghost; a vengeful, one-eyed ghost that crawled out from its grave to haunt her. "Schnee" she hissed, sweat running down her forehead "what are you doing here?"

Weiss touched her neck with her left palm, making sure Sophia could see Kendrick's scarf. "I am here to deliver your comeuppance, you murderous fiend." She pointed Myrtenaster at her "get ready, Carmel."


	63. Let the Brave Huntsmen Fight

**Hello again everyone! How are you all doing? I hope that you as as well as possible!**

**Ch. 63 is here. Hope you enjoy it! **

**Once more, thank you all for following/favoring/commenting or simply reading the story. You guys are the best! **

**See you all next week! **

* * *

_**A few minutes ago**_

The faunus Fenris had left guard the tunnel were so easily dispatched that Ruby almost felt sad about the beating they had suffered in Weiss' hands. She stared at them as her partner continued her interrogation.

"So, if I take it correctly, Carmel is in the tomb your Boss wants to use, Yang and the rest of my friends are in that underground village of yours and the rest of your people are going after both of them?"

The jackal faunus, terrified as much as he was hurt, nodded with his head "yes, Madam." Weiss stood up and stared at Ruby "did you destroy their radios?"

"YuP" Ruby replied. "Save for one I kept for us, they are unable to call anyone. Do you still have the one we got from Carmel's guards as well?" she asked back.

The ex-heiress nodded and then glared at the captives once more, trying to ensure they would be way too terrified to even think of doing something like ambush them. She then turned to her partner.

"Do you think you can make the distance while- YEEEEP!" Sparing not even one moment, and ignoring the guards they had just subdued, Ruby hugged Weiss and burst inside the tunnel with immense speed.

"What do we do!?" she shouted, trying to be heard over the lashing wind. "Leave Yang and the rest to me!" the brunette screamed. "Go settle the score with that bitch. You can do it, can't you partner?"

Weiss thought to object for a moment. She wanted to tell Ruby that she needed to see Yang as soon as possible. She needed to see her smile, the beautiful gorgeous smile she had missed so much.

However, Ruby was in better shape than her for sure. And no matter how selfish it sounded, helping Yang and the rest to escape the ambush was Weiss' top priority at this point. Not to mention…

She grabbed her scarf; the one Kendrick had gifted her with his dying breath. She had some unfinished business with the beautiful bitch that had tortured her and killed her friend. "Got it" she only replied.

_**Present time**_

Weiss thrust forward, aiming for the woman's chest. "KNEEL!" the CEO roared, focusing her semblance on the pale girl. To her horror, it didn't even faze her- the girl had closed her eye as soon as she charged her!

Sophia jumped aside at the last moment and the pale huntress missed her. Weiss landed in front of the statue and opened her eye "it sounds easier than it is- fighting without looking at you" she sighed.

"You crazy psycho! Now is not the time for that!" Sophia screamed. "Fenris is below; fighting with your faunus friends! You should go help them!" A cyan eye looked away, carefully avoiding her gaze.

"At this point, I don't believe anything that comes out of your mouth, you sly vixen. Even if Blake and Ilia are there, they are more that capable of dealing with the likes of him-as will I with the likes of you!"

An angry rune sizzled with energy behind her, unleashing a series of fire bolts towards the CEO. Sophia ducked and found shelter behind a pillar, trembling in shock as the burning missiles shook the walls around her.

"Can't you understand that I am not your greatest problem right now?" she screamed from behind her cover. "Fenris fed the Eldergrimm to the Morkvind; it consumed its power and will keep growing if left alone!"

Weiss stopped. The image of the stag-headed terror, breathing over her while she was holding Kendrick's corpse, flashed through her mind. _Dead wind whispers in the trees… spirit of ancient spite it brings…_

She gripped her blade. _That song is proving to be quite realistic and in a very bad way. Dust damn it- this complicates things even more!_

"Do you understand now how insignificant your revenge is, Weiss?" Sophia asked, taking advantage of the girl's momentary ceasefire. "The entire country is at- YEEEEP!"

Another fireball sizzled in the air, its heat grazing the brunette woman's ear and making her let out a pained gasp. "Do I look like a fool? You are as much responsible for that as Fenris is. And I _WILL_ see you pay for your crimes, Carmel! You will be trialed in Atlas; I will make sure of it!"

Sophia panted. Her nerves were on the verge of breaking; she really needed a smoke right now. "Weiss… I can help you win this. We have a much greater enemy before us… please think logically…" she begged.

Weiss was really sad the business woman couldn't see how angry her expression was at the sound of these words. "That's exactly what I am doing" she started walking towards the pillar "and I have reached the conclusion that I can't trust a snake like you!"

Weiss flipped Myrtenaster and let its tip touch the ground. A white rune sprawled from below her, engulfing the room in its brilliant, shimmering light.

An almond-shaped eye stared at the huntress from just behind the pillar's edge. Now that she was closer, she could easily make eye contact- Weiss had her eye closed, focusing on her summon only.

"FUCK YOU!" Sophia had enough of the girl's stubbornness. She lashed out, taking advantage of her enemy's motionless state, and shot three bullets towards her. To her disappointment, none of them found home.

A large white-blue sword deflected them as Arma Gigas jumped out of the circle. Its size had been reduced from huge to that of a regular human, but it made up for it with its enhanced mobility.

And that was not the only trick it could pull off. A second glyph, filled in lightning dust, immediately covered the ground beneath it. A series of bullets were once more shot at her, followed by Carmel's angry roar.

"OPEN YOUR EYES! STAND AND FIGHT! LOOK AT ME! SCHNEEE!" The time dilation glyph enhanced the summoned Grimm's reflexes even more, making it easily block the gunfire.

"Get her" Weiss' voice was soft and calm, barely a whisper under her enemy's screams. The Arma Gigas rushed forward with immense speed.

"NO! STAY AWAY! I AM-" an audible thud was heard as the CEO fell unconscious, making Weiss open her eyes and wipe the tears running down her cheeks.

"Finally" she tenderly grasped the scarf "you are where you belong, you venomous rattlesnake. Be glad I hate spilling blood if I can avoid it, or you would be on your way to hell at this point."

-o—

As soon as Sophia had left the room, Wenge walked and stood between the door and his enemies, who had slowly regained their former vigor as he deactivated his semblance.

"You can cause severe exhaustion to others" Blake gave her sword a quick swing. "You people prove to be a constant source of amusement" Fenris grinned. "Or annoyance" Ilia completed.

All four of them exchanged looks of concern. Blake and ilia seemingly had the advantage, but they also had to be extra cautious- there was no way to tell how a three-way fight would go.

The moments passed when Gray finally spoke "let me inform you, Ms. Belladonna, that standing around shall not do you well. In fact, I would say it works to my benefit instead."

Blake's eyes hardened. Was he bluffing? "That works fine for me as well" Wenge commented, clenching his fists. Ilia stared him in harsh disapproval. Everyone was tense; waiting for a mistake done by their-

"Blood has been spilled inside the sacred temple It has claimed as Its own. Therefore the Dead Wind is coming to accept the offering- _**all**_ of you" Fenris' words made everyone's breaths stop in their throats.

"MS SOPHIA!" Wenge was the one who made the first mistake. Gray lashed out at him, but the two girls were equally fast. "GAAAH!" Ilia's whip hit him on the chest, electrocuting the man unconscious.

At the same moment, Blake jumped between her friend and the wolf man. Nightfall whirled and parried a pair of ferocious slashes, as the cat girl changed footing and thrust forward.

Gray, unable to avoid it, grabbed her blade with both arms. The sharp weapon sliced his aura, making him grit his teeth in pain. Sensing she had the advantage, Blake stepped back and performed a vertical cut.

The blade cut his face, slicing a good chunk of Fenris' aura. At the same moment, Ilia shocked him with her whip. "AARGGG!" his scream echoed as the combined attacks sent him roll on the ground.

He immediately jumped up. His palms were in pain and despite his aura still holding, he could feel the sting of Amitola's attack and the slices from Belladona's weapon. Both mentioned girls carefully walked closer.

"Keep calm Ilia; he might be cornered, but we still don't know what he has up his sleeve" the cat-girl steadily moved, letting her magma-red blade glow in the low light of the tomb.

And she was right, as usual. One moment, Fenris stood in front of them; the next one, a surge of power emanated from the wolf faunus as he let all his restrictions and totally released the full brunt of his semblance.

Both girls took one step back, as their eyes opened wide at what they came to see. Gray's semblance wrapped his entire body and started to alter is shape.

His skin got covered in thick gray fur. Arms and legs expanded, muscles tearing through the fabric of his cloak. His claws got even bigger and sharper, as his shoulders opened and his torso got larger.

His face changed too. His nose got replaced by a wolf muzzle, his mouth filled with sharp teeth, saliva dripping from his open jaws. His feral green eyes shone with primal hatred as power surged through them.

He smiled at the two surprised women "who is cornered again, Ms. Belladonna?" his voice was still the same, only a few tones deeper. "That- you are a werewolf!" Ilia blurted, failing to contain her shock.

"Is this your semblance?" Blake tried her best to gather her thoughts. "You never used it while being part of the Fang" she readied Nightfall.

Gray smirked "my semblance is a gift from the God of darkness. It is the ability to imitate a mythical beast; the Werewolf. Feel privileged to die to it, Blake" he replied- and charged at her.

Her instincts kicked in at once. Fenris moved with unbelievable speed, aiming to sever her head from her body, but he only managed to slice her clone.

Ilia turned invisible at once and jumped up to the coffin. She got her whip ready to attack; hoping Blake would get what she intended to do.

_Left claw, right claw _Blake performed a couple horizontal slices to parry his attacks. _Bite! Claw! Bite!_ She teleported away, rolled on the floor to avoid his arm and then used her sword's blunt side to stop his bite.

Taking advantage of her blade being held between his fangs, the huge werewolf sliced at her wide open torso. He knew Blake couldn't blink like this, unless she gave up her weapon- also a good outcome for him.

He knew little of Blake, it seemed. Rapidly activating Nightfall's blade, she released its second form, effectively breaking it into pieces and freeing it from his ferocious jaws.

Not even one second later, she whirled it and activated her semblance, creating a momentary cloud of deadly cuts and slices as she blinked around him "AAARGG!" and earned another pained roar from the man.

She finally skipped back, next to the broken coffin. Fenris' huge form turned around and stared at her in hatred. The black-haired girl's eyes narrowed. _He seems unhurt! WHY? I am sure I broke his aura!_

_Calm down Blake_ she told herself as the Werewolf showed her his teeth and lowered his head, ready to charge. _He attacks, you deflect, and Ilia shall pierce him… NOW! _

Gray jumped at Blake once more, trying to bite her. The yellow-eyed faunus blinked to the right, and got ready for the net attack. As soon as he turned to face her, Ilia would-

"Fools" he murmured "I can _smell_ you" to the cat-girl's horror, he didn't go after her. Instead, he sliced at the exact place Ilia was standing. Ilia, who was unprepared for his attack.

"AAAAAAAAAA!" the violent scream made Blake's heart nearly stop, as the monster's claws sliced her friend's stomach, tore her aura apart and made her fall down in a quickly forming pool of her own blood.

"ILIA!"

-o—

The screams, growls and shouts from the main street forced Alex to make haste as she slowly ran down the back alley. She hated to leave it all to Albus, but she had her own part to play.

Carefully, she reached the back of the nearby house and continued undeterred as Albus had successfully managed to draw all attention to him. She jumped to the next one, still unseen by their enemies.

_Move like the shadows, unseen._ She reached the edge of the second house, slowly reaching out to peek. _I hate not being able to use my echolocation because they might listen to it- fighting other faunus is such a drag._

The alley was empty, the sounds of fighting still going on behind her. She jumped to the final house, tiptoeing around the corner. She peeked again and saw the house which the annoying gun was shooting from.

_It is a 50-meter dash to the house; make it sixty if the window is closed. But there is no enemy, so I just have to-_ "Found you!" a cackling, sinister voice sounded, as she felt a sharp blade press her back.

Somehow Sen Spot had managed to ambush her and was now standing behind the bat faunus, her smelly breath tingling Alexandra's sensitive nose. "Did you really think it would be that easy to get a drop on us?"

"Well" she replied, carefully trying to not shout "you do look stupid- ah!" Sen stabbed her back, cutting her aura off and making the girl's nerves fill in pain.

Alex tried to jump away, but the hyena faunus was on her, stabbing her twice with her sword and dagger before the albino rolled away. _Thank Dust the Gatling makes so much noise they didn't hear us! _She thought.

The black-haired bandit licked her lips "aura will not protect you for much longer and I took quite a lot already, didn't I?" the woman's eyes narrowed. _I don't have time to waste on her! Albus needs me!_

"Wanna know how I found you?" Sen started slowly walking towards the bat-girl. "No" with a rapid motion, Alex drew her gun and shot. Her enemy was anticipating that and ran to the left, the bullet grazing her.

The huntress barely managed to change her weapon to its axe form as the hyena fell on her, smiling maniacally and slicing like a rabid animal.

She jumped back and, only sustaining a few shallow cuts as she charged forward. "I smelled you" Sen laughed as she charged as well, not even caring about the girl's weapon.

_Defending without my semblance is nearly impossible _Alex thought as the hyena came closer. _And I don't have enough time to drag this on!_

So, she simply let go. Tactics, skills, training, were all tossed aside. The vampire bat faunus threw all caution to the wind; her predatory instinct overcame her as she replied to the enemy's attack with equal ferocity.

What followed after was a mess of a fight. Sen and Alex hacked, sliced and cut each other, cracking and destroying each other's aura within a few seconds.

"I like your guts!" her enemy said as they exchanged attacks, barely trying to parry or dodge "but you are not crazy enough to pull it off!" she added the exact moment their auras broke down completely.

Sen head-butted Alexandra, making her fall down. "Die!" she jumped on her and kicked her axe away. The albino girl tried to punch her, but she cut her arm, deflecting her attack.

"I said die! And scream! It's not fun unless you scream!" Alex tried to punch her again "I said scream! not-" the moment Sen tried to cut her again though, she felt a sharp pain on her forehead.

"Aaaa…" failing to even understand what had happened, the hyena fell on the ground, blood running down her face from a large stab wound.

Alexandra tossed the bloody corpse aside and quickly wiped the blood off her punching dagger before hiding it again in her bracer. "For all that's worth" she said before running to help Albus "I am really sorry."

_A few minutes earlier_

The quick swing from his staff sent the faunus trying to reach him fly away. Albus had no time to rejoice, however, as the Gatling gun from the empty house fired at him at once.

The man rolled on the ground and sent another wave of air dust forward, blasting away the barrage- which mattered little, since the enemy's continued fire passed through as soon as the blast ended.

_Son of a-_ he barely managed to get behind a nearby wall, clenching his teeth so subdue the pain from the -quite a few- bullets that hit him. _I was effing careless! The Gatling guy was waiting for me! _

"What are you four waiting for?" the voice of the faunus handling the annoying weapon sounded. "Get off the ground and kill him! He ain't doing that again- I will turn him to Valean cheese!"

_Well, he is not wrong, but it works better for me_ Albus closed his eyes and focused, activating his semblance. He felt his own shadow expand and twirl. It broke in four pieces and moved on the wall behind him.

"Got you!" the exact same moment, all four terrorists jumped at him- and suddenly got attacked by four tendrils of darkness. They merged with their own shadows and erupted, fully restraining them.

"Thank Dust it worked" he opened his eyes and stood up, staring at the perplexed faunus suspended above ground in front of him. "Let's go for a walk, guys."

Hidden behind the door, only his Gatling gun visible from the road, Baz cackled in anticipation. Soon, the men he sent after the human would return- there was no way he would be able to take them on his own.

A pity he would have to find another victim, but- _oh here they… are?_ All four of them walked out from the corner, but not in the exact state he had been expecting them to.

Instead, they were grappled by large shadow tendrils that moved them while shielding the puny man hiding from behind. The only thing visible was a stupid satisfied smirk on his face.

Albus kept moving, his heart beating fast. He was doing his best to keep smiling, despite knowing he was betting quite- his focus saved him this time, as the enemy opened fire.

Albus tried his best to move both himself and his captives, but failed to do so. The series of high-caliber bullets filled the area once more. They hit him head on, taking away most of his aura and breaking his control.

Not there was much left to control, anyway. "AAARG!" A shower of blood filled him, as his captives got annihilated by the merciless shower of lead, coming from their uncaring comrade.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU ARE A FOOL TO THINK HOSTAGES WILL EVER WORK ON ME! STUPID HUMAN!" Baz kept screaming as he kept shooting at Albus. "YOU-GAH!"

Holding his breath under the pile of corpses and trying his best to not faint, Albus had crawled within range and shot at him with his staff.

The thin, concentrated blast of air sliced the man's face, rattling his aura and making him stumble. "YOU FUCKING HUMA-" another blast hit him head-on, throwing him on the ground.

The black-and-white haired boy tried to stand, but the pain from the bullets he had received was immense. He moved a couple more steps and then fell down. He was exhausted.

"Now you made me mad!" Baz stood up and started running towards him, an angry expression on his face. "I don't know what you did and broke my aura so easily, but I will give you a full taste of my jaws right-"

A loud humming sound reached them. _It was about time, you gorgeous, lazy girl._ A loud gunshot followed it. Baz didn't even manage to flinch before he fell on the ground, a smoking bullet hole on his bloody head.

"I am sorry" Alexandra's voice was heard as she slowly got closer to the dead faunus, her head lowered in apology "but you left me no choice, you idiot."

Meanwhile, in the other side of the street, Yang was facing a small yet significant problem. "GAH!" she was repelled by a series of coordinated attacks from the hyena's henchmen.

Two of them were lying down unconscious, courtesy of both her kicks and their cockiness that made them think she would be easy prey with her right arm missing.

Unfortunately, dispatching those two morons made the other five extra cautious. Two of them had drawn swords and attacked her, while the other two were providing support fire every time they found her open.

To make things even worse, the hyena was standing far away, smiling and drooling all over her arm, aggravating her to no end. _I am having trouble with four guys and a creep. Weiss would kill me if she saw me._

She assumed her boxing stance, left shoulder slightly forward again. It was not that she didn't have an ace up her sleeve, but she had used her dust-infused semblance too much lately and didn't want to risk it.

_Not to mention Fenris, Carmel and that monster Grimm are still around _she thought. She activated her semblance, gathering energy in her left fist. It shone with a golden aura, making her enemies stand on edge.

"Sorry guys" Yang shouted "for underestimating you, I mean." Lilac eyes narrowed and she charged forward. The rifle-wielders opened fire at once, while the other two waited to attack as soon as she dodged.

Instead of maneuvering around, however, Yang jumped backwards and immediately used Ember Celica to shoot a pair of missiles at them. The explosion echoed in the empty street, filling the area in smoke.

The blonde was forced to roll mid-air, the recoil from using only one of her bracers without consistent foothold making her spin. She landed on her left foot and at once spun to regain momentum and run forward.

"SHOOT AT THE CLOUD!" Ed's voice reached her ears, making her smile. As soon as she heard it, Yang jumped high and used another Celica shot to reach one of the nearby walls.

She stepped on the wall only for a moment, as gunfire erupted from below, bullets slicing and piercing the alley, ricocheting on the ground and turning it into a kill zone.

The next moment, Yang jumped above her line of enemies and landed in front of the hyena man. The adversary was ready for her and a pair of kukri lashed out to cut the huntress.

"She is behind you; you morons!" Ed screamed as he tried to hack and slice Yang. She dodged the right one and allowed the left to chunk out a piece of her aura as she deflected in with her palm.

That sacrifice, however, allowed her to slam Ember Celica on his nose. "ARG!" Ed groaned and got forced to step back. "Get the filthy human!" the henchmen jumped out from the cloud and ran towards them.

They jumped at Yang, using their swords to cut her. Surprisingly, the woman didn't even resist. She only went and delivered another punch at Ed's stomach, making him fall on his knees.

"AH!" two large cuts on her back shook her aura, but she didn't move. She kept her arm there for a couple seconds, before kicking him away. It was that exact moment the last two enemies opened fire at her.

Yang rolled away and jumped far from them, taking distance. They all turned to face her- when a mechanical click made them stop. She stood up, her right arm in place, a disgusted expression all over her face.

"GIVE IT BACK!" screaming and drooling, Ed ran forward, blades ready and jaws open. "THIS IS MY TROPH-" Yang punched his jaw, making him lose his balance, with her right arm.

She then grabbed him and flipped him over before tossing him on the ground with a loud cracking noise that made the four henchmen shiver in fear.

That exact second they gave her this way was all she needed. Yang jump towards the swordmen and kicked the first one. The second tried to slice her right side, but she shot a missile at his face.

The rifles fired again, but this time she dodged while charging at them, using her metal arm to deflect the few ones that aimed at her vital parts.

Some bullets managed to graze her, powering her up even more. Her enemies understood that a little too late, however. The brawler jumped and performed a semblance-powered roundhouse kick at them.

Yang stood up, pleased to see the four faunus lying down unconscious and thoroughly beaten. _Wait, four? Where is the hyena guy?_ Before even finishing her thought, she felt movement from her left.

"GIVE ME! THAT!" Ed ran towards her, screaming and screeching. "IT IS! MINE!" he swung hard with his kukri. "This!" the tall girl deflected the right one with her arm and grabbed his left hand "Is! My arm!"

"YOU LOST IT!" Instead of breaking free, he bit her shoulder. Surprised, she stifled a gasp of pain. He took advantage of it and kicked her away, standing in a raged state in front of her. "NOW IT BELONGS TO-"

A heavy object landed on Ed's head- the blunt side of a large, silver-red scythe. The man gasped and fell down, a huge bump on his skull. Before Yang could even smile at the weapon's sight, a merry voice giggled.

"Why do you always end up attracting weirdoes?" Ruby, smiling in all her teasing glory, asked her. "I date your partner, remember?" she retorted, before both of them got lost in each other's arms.


	64. Souls Blazing in the Night

**Greetings everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine and kicking! **

**Ch. 64 is here. I hope you enjoy it! **

**Also, I have an important announcement to make. I am going on a two-week vacation, so next chapter will be updated on the first Wednesday of August, unless I am able to write faster than I expect myself to. I hope I will manage to make it a double one, to make up for the delay. **

**As always, thank you so much for following/commenting/favoring/ simply reading the story! **

**I wish you all to have a fantastic second half of July and be well! See you all in three weeks! **

* * *

"Ilia!" Blake charged at Fenris, whirling Nightfall around. The wolf-man jumped backwards and stood in front of the door, allowing her to reach her bleeding friend.

A wicked, gleeful smile appeared on his face, evident of the pleasure he was getting by seeing Blake's reaction. But the cat-girl didn't care. She knelt next to Ilia's body and checked the chameleon girl's condition.

_She is breathing... her wounds are shallower than they seemed. That's good_ Blake glared at Fenris who chuckled. "She is exceptionally well trained" he said "she avoided taking a deep hit, despite her surprise."

"Gahhh…" the chameleon girl whimpered "Shhh…" Blake cut her groan "take this" she gave her a hemostat bandage and made the girl press it on the wound. "Stay safe; I am getting us out of here" Blake stood up.

Still standing in front of the door, Gray snorted. "You do realize you are lying to her, don't you Blake? There is no way you can defeat me when I am like this" he exhaled deeply, air coming out of his nostrils and jaws.

Nightfall rose and yellow eyes hardened. She knew the situation was bad; she had been pushing all vivid images of her maroon-haired friend getting ripped to shreds away from her mind for the last few minutes.

_Calm down, Blake…_ she eased her breathing as Fenris lowered his legs, ready to charge. _Ilia depends on you! You can do this; you have done so many things, far more dangerous than that!_

The tension skyrocketed as the Werewolf's body lowered, his powerful jaws opened-

"_Dead Wind whispers in the trees… _

_Spirit of ancient spite it brings… _

_Tall as house…" _

The song was eerie and ominous, breaking the tension. Gray stopped and his feral eyes narrowed in confusion. On the contrary, Blake's heart skipped- for she recognized this wicked, ancient nursery rhyme.

And even more, she recognized the melodious, ethereal and absolutely gorgeous melancholic voice. It resonated through the bloodstained and lightless mausoleum, like a ghostly siren had graced its dark depths.

"CHECKMATE!" she screamed with all her might, hoping the white-clad fairy could listen, before rushing forward. Gray turned around to face her and swung hard with his arm to intercept the faunus girl.

"Oh no you don't!" a human-sized knight jumped down from the opening and sliced at the Werewolf's outstretched arm, creating an opening for Nightfall to cut at his abdomen.

"AAAAGHHH!" the monstrous growl didn't deter the two combatants, as they started moving back and forth, blades in perfect coordination.

Fenris lashed out to claw at the knight- Nightfall parried the block and its broadsword followed through by stabbing his armpit.

He sliced at Blake's legs to throw her off balance- the knight jumped between and deflected the thrust with a kick of its own, letting her whirl and slice down his aura with a cascade of slices.

The monster jumped high and descended at them, jaws and claws moving like a living vice to chew their heads off- the knight back flipped and Blake blinked away, letting him crash down and leave a small crater on the stone-paved floor.

Before he could move away, they both rushed forward. Using glyphs and clones, they danced around the faunus, slicing and stabbing with deadly precision, covering each other from the monster's attacks.

After a series of successful assaults, Fenris fell on his knees with a roar of pain. Blake took advantage of this and jumped away, standing in front of Ilia, as the summoned Grimm slowly faded away.

"I am impressed" Blake said, as Weiss entered the room, Myrtenaster at hand. She was slightly panting and the faunus could see sweat run down her pale white face, but except for that her friend seemed fine.

Gray rose again. Despite the many attacks he had received, his aura was still standing, no visible wounds seen on his body. His usual playful attitude had faded away, primal green eyes gleaming in pure hatred.

"As am I" the pale girl glared at the monster. "Is he even mortal?" she wondered, furring her brows before making eye contact with Blake.

Cyan met bright yellow; this was the only thing needed for Weiss to switch her chamber to ice. "Freezing Knight!" Blake roared at the same moment Fenris attacked her.

Nighfall unfurled and the cat-girl swung hard, making a cloud of blades in order to keep the wolf at bay. "Tough luck, weakling!" he passed by, ignoring any slices that simply chunked away his aura.

This, however, allowed him to quickly reach her. The predator attacked, knowing she couldn't teleport with her weapon in- Blake blinked away.

As soon as she did, Nightfall fell on the floor and the Werewolf's eyes narrowed. _How did I fail to see the glyphs form beneath Belladona?_ He pondered, before Weiss' array hit him head on.

A huge ice shard erupted, trying to engulf him. Weiss cursed inside her mouth, as she once more failed to properly aim. _This __**has**__ to stop!_ At this point, however, it didn't matter.

The distance was so close and the glyph so wide, it still managed to hit the bandit. Shards of ice pierced his legs and belly, impaling him as his aura broke. Dark red blood started flow down the cold stalagmites.

"GAH!" he suppressed a scream. "GAHH…AHH…ahhh…" he broke free of the ice and fell on the ground, visible holes over the places he had been pierced.

He stood up, seeing Schnee and Belladonna stare at him in a mix of shock and disbelief. The traitor gulped, before composing herself. "You have lost, Gray. Accept your defeat and surrender" she said.

_Surrender? Me?_ He stared at the blood running down his body. His form was still intact; he must have had a little more aura remaining. _To whom? To those children?_ He smiled, raising his head.

"You stupid, ignorant child!" he stared at Blake. "I would never, ever surrender to someone who carries the blood of betrayal." Blake was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"You Belladonnas" he raised his face to the sky, staring at the ceiling. "And all the faunus who chose to turn their back in the Old Ways, are ignorant of the sins your ancestors carry in your blood."

"You have the nerve-" _**"AAROOOOOOO!"**_ Weiss' anger exploded, but she was immediately cut off by the man's feral, primal baying. It echoed throughout the entire mausoleum and out in the town, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

Dripping blood, Fenris rose and stared at the two girls. "This is my final act, daughter of the traitors! I shall offer your bodies to the newborn God of the forest, before I join my predecessors in eternal sleep!

He rushed forward at Ilia "NO!" Blake tried to teleport at once, but she knew there was no way to save her friend except for shielding her with her own body. Fenris smiled as she activated her semblance-

And then his smile faded. A sharp, piercing pain filled his back. Blake stood in front of him but, judging from her expression, she was as much shocked as he, staring at the thin blade than protruded from his chest.

"I am sorry" Weiss' voice broke the silence as she pulled Myrtneaster out of his body "but there was no other way… I couldn't risk it." Gray stumbled forward and then fell down, his body crash on the floor.

The two huntresses exchanged a quick glance, before Blake rushed to Ilia's aid and Weiss knelt next to the man, whose body had turned back to its previous form. He had no pulse and had lost tons of blood.

"How is Ilia?" she asked, trying to get rid of the foul taste that filled her mouth. "She is stabilized; those emergency hemostats are truly doing their job" Blake replied. "I see… that's good" she commented.

"Killing never becomes easier; no matter how many times we become forced to do it, does it?" the faunus asked her friend, still bandaging the unconscious girl. "I would do it again to save you two; but it still sucks."

"Heh" Blake chuckled bitterly. "It's good to have you back, Yang" the cat girl remarked on the previous comment. "Thanks, Sun. Your humor is as horrible as always."

Weiss hugged Blake from behind "let's go home; I am exhausted and I want to see Yang as soon as possible." Blake nodded and rubbed her friend's head with her cheek "you took the words out of my mouth."

They stood up and slowly walked over to Fenris. Blake closed her eyes and knelt, doing the same to his. "I hope you repent for your sins in the afterlife, Gray. May your trip be a pleasant one."

She then got up and grabbed Ilia in her arms, hoping the pangs of sadness in her heart would stop once she let this accursed place behind.

-o—

The tunnel seemed endless; a long, cold and dark corridor, illuminated only by the torch she picked up from the dead faunus on her way out.

Sophia Carmel panted and gasped; her breath erratic as the pain in her wrist increased. _I shouldn't have stopped to smoke that cigar- my body is in bad shape as it is. _

She had managed to escape Schnee's bindings quite easily when the latter went down to assist her friends in their fight, but that was the easy part- the hard was to get out of the tunnel uninterrupted.

But now that she was nearing the exit, Sophia felt all sorts of memories crash down on her, without even realizing why. _Maybe I am losing it._

She saw her father smiling tenderly as he hugged her… the same man who hung himself because his wife told him she was banging more men during their marriage than every other woman in her entire life.

Her mother, that snarky smirk all over her face, stared at her in a tired manner when she confronted her about it. _"I loved you father, don't misunderstand. It's just who I am- when I want something I take it."_

She remembered her mind going blank, her semblance unknowingly and unwillingly activating as she screamed back at her _"YOU MONSTER! YOU LOVE NOBODY! YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE TO DIE, NOT DADDY!"_

Sophia shook her head and finished another cigar as she walked out of the tunnel in the opening. She knew that reaching Atlas alive was highly unlikely, but if she could find someone to brainwash, maybe she could…

Her mind stopped. The smell of fresh blood hit her nostrils even before her brain could register what her eyes were seeing. Morkvind, Alginos' successor, was standing in front of her in its entire horrid splendor.

Around it, the corpses of a few faunus were spread, possibly belonging to Fenris' men who were guarding the place. She turned around to run, but at once she felt a vine grab her wrist.

"No… NOOO-AAAAAH!" her screams of pain cut the macabre silence, as the vine twisted and broke her ankle with a sickening 'crack' sound. She fell on the ground, her face eating dirt and snow.

"AAAH! AAAAH! AAAH!" her screams became even more rasped; this was the end and she knew it. This thing would grab and eat her alive as it had done to her men.

Her tear-filled eyes were burning as she flipped over her body and drew her gun in a last, desperate attempt to protect her life. But, to her total surprise, the monster didn't even move.

Instead it kept feeding on the corpses ignoring the immobilized woman. She took a deep breath and tried to contain her horror_. It's saving me for later! After it is done with them!_

She felt her heart nearly stop. The feeding sounds continued, serving to only enhance the terror Sophia was feeling. She would remain stranded there, next to the vile feast, waiting for her turn to be eaten.

Nobody would save her this time; Schnee, Wenge, Peros… all of them were either dead or captured. She would die in the worst way possible; alone and helpless.

Tears run down from her eyes and her hand fell on her side. The stag-headed terror turned to gaze at the new source of negative emotions, but as soon as it realized she was still there, it resumed its meal.

The human-like efficiency this monster showed made her body shiver. She clutched her stomach, trying not to vomit- and her hand touched a small rectangular box in her belt; her radio.

Sophia stared at the small device. Its battery still functioned, it seemed. Not that it could help her at all, even if she could call for support. She was doomed; that was what she thought as she chewed a cigar's edge.

The eerie silence, broken only by the gusts of dead wind and the sound of flesh being ripped, along with the stench of freshly-killed meat must have gotten to her; she was truly losing it.

There was no other explanation for the thoughts that came running to her tired mind. It was either that or her father's words when they had bid her grandfather farewell.

"_In the end, Sophia, we are what we leave behind us; nothing more and nothing less. Everything you have done is accounted for at the end of your life, no matter how you chose to live it." _

Sophia smiled and let out a bitter laugh as she grabbed the radio and pushed the button. "This is Sophia Carmel; is anyone there?" Honestly, she felt really stupid doing that. What was she expecting? As if-

"I just found out my untied bindings; you have some nerve contacting me" Weiss' voice sounded from the other side, making her eyes open wide. _They must have taken Wenge's radio._

She spared a glance towards the Grimm. It didn't even bother; its feral instincts must have been showing she was no visible threat. "Is Wenge with you? Is he alive?" she asked, lips trembling.

"I am not you" the huntress seethed. "He is coming with us; I am going to make sure he answers for his crimes; as will you, Carmel" the voice was cold and absolute, but laced with determination. She liked it.

The CEO saw the Morkvind finish another corpse and move closer. She had very little time left. "The code is _Bruhmer_" she gulped, licking her dried lips.

"What are you talking about?" another voice, probably Beladonna's, was heard from the radio. "In the topmost floor of the CC building, you will find my office and my personal computer. Wenge will show you in."

Her heart was about to burst from her chest "the code to open it is my favorite brand of chocolates- nobody knows I have a secret stash of it for tough days."

"Have you gone crazy?!" Weiss screamed, startling her "What are you talking about all of a sudden?" The Grimm tore the last corpse in half, audibly gulping.

"Maybe; but I don't have much time left to explain. Inside the PC, you will find a few pieces of information you will very much appreciate I think" she quickly explained.

There was no answer; nothing. Sophia licked her lips. The munching sounds became faster, as did her heartbeat. Finally, after a while, the radio beeped again "why are you telling us this?" Weiss asked.

Sophia exhaled. "You earned it, Schnee. You remained true to yourself, no matter what life threw at you; something I was too weak to do after all. You are far stronger than a dead person like me."

"Carmel? What are you talking about? Where are you?" the anxiety in the pale girl's voice indicated she had finally realized something was off with her assumptions. But, there was no time.

The Grimm stood up and her breath was caught in her throat. It stared at her and for a moment, she thought her heart would stop before she even had a chance to reply.

"The Morkvind is coming for you, Schnee. It's at the entrance of the cave. Get out of here- and please, take Wenge with you." It opened its jaws and started moving towards her.

"WHAT? Sophia! Where ARE YOU?" She smiled, clearly content. "Thank you Weiss; for keeping me company and for calling me Sophia." The large shadow towered over her, black abyssal eyes locking on her body.

"I don't regret what I did" she raised her gun- not towards the monster, but on her head. "But I really wished we could have met under different circumstances" she pulled the trigger before the Grimm attacked.

-o—

A gunshot was the last thing Weiss and Blake heard before the radio went dead. "Sophia?" Weiss pressed the button and asked. "Sophia?" she asked once more, but there was no reply.

Blake, carrying Ilia in her back, stared at her friend. She had Mr. Knight strapped on her own back as well, but Blake was sure the trembling she could see in the petite girl's shoulders was not from the man's weight.

"Sophia Carmel, listen to me!" she pressed the button once more. The cat-girl slowly and carefully walked closer to her. "Do you-" she gulped "do you think you can get away that easily? You have to answer for-"

"Weiss" Blake gently touched the petite girl's shoulder, making her turn around. She was not crying, but the faunus could see sadness inside the cyan eye of hers. "I am sorry, but if what she said is true, we have to-"

"Find the others and get out of here" she turned around and started walking out of the dimly-lit mausoleum. "I wish we can at least gather her body on our way out."

They started running down the stairs, the sickly green light lighting their path. _Is it me, or have the flames grown stronger?_ The yellow-eyed girl thought. "I swear you are so honorable" she exclaimed after a second.

Weiss didn't reply but the faunus was pleased to see the side of her lips slightly curve upwards. All that it remained would be to find the others and get out of here as soon as possible; fighting this was way too risky.

As they reached the end of the staircase, Blake's ears twitched as Weiss let out a small sound. It was a mixture of shock and pleasure; one that usually people let out after a very pleasant surprise.

It was only after a very familiar blonde mane appeared in the other side of the road, flanked by her sister and their friends, that Blake realized the reason behind the pale woman's shock.

_I swear; her eyesight turns better than Mom's when Yang is involved._ She let out a small laugh as Weiss and Yang charged at each other, the ex-heiress blatantly ignoring the man she carried on her back and- _wow that kiss was novel material!_

Standing on the opposite side of the street, next to giggling Albus and Alex, Ruby rolled her eyes before storming off to separate Weiss from Yang.

"As exciting as it is to watch my big sister and my partner making out in front of me" she said, putting as much dramatic emphasis as she could muster "we are still in danger, so please get off each other!"

Fiercely blushing, and barely embarrassed at this point, both huntresses broke the kiss. They did enjoy each other's warm embrace nonetheless, barely speaking until Blake appeared.

"Ruby" the two dark-haired girls exchanged a brief yet fond hug. "It's good to see you Blake" she smiled, as a reluctant Yang finally let Weiss out of her hug and the other couple got closer.

"Sorry about that" the tall woman winked at her girlfriend who blushed "but, well, I missed my daily dose of Weiss" she smiled and winked at her partner. However, her grin faded as she saw the serious face Blake was sporting.

"Sorry for getting carried away" the mentioned girl immediately copied the faunus' serious mode "but we have to get moving, everyone. This thing- the Morkvind- is coming to us through the main tunnel."

Everyone save for Blake exchanged concerned gazes. Ruby raised an eyebrow and stared at her partner "tell me what happened; the short version of it."

A few minutes later, they were all standing in the middle of the central road, the unconscious bodies of five Blood Moon members and Wenge Knight carefully placed in front of them, next to a bandaged Ilia.

Blake and Weiss scouted the southern place of the city, ready to sound an alarm the moment those sickly green lights revealed the dreadful silhouette of the stag-headed Grimm come out of the tunnel.

"These are all of them?" Ruby asked Yang who was brushing the sweat off her forehead. "Yup; unless we missed someone, but between Alex's radar and Blakey's eyes I don't believe we did."

"Good" she turned to Alex and Albus, who were catching their breaths in a nearby rock bench. The girl was taking deep breaths, while the boy was looking at a small pill in his right hand.

"I know I said it's our best shot, but you don't have to do it if-" "Ruby" he cut her off "it's not my first time taking an aura-enhancing pill, I will remind you. Besides" he pointed towards the unconscious people.

"No matter how much of a scum all of them are, we can't let them die like this" he completed his talk. "It's not us we are worried about- we are not the ones who will remain back to fight that thing" Alex added.

Ruby sighed deeply, her mind briefly recalling the plan. As soon as the Morkvind would enter, Weiss and Blake would sign the alarm and taunt it towards the village.

Meanwhile, powered by the aura-enhancing pill, Albus would use his shadows and, along with Alex, get the unconscious people through the tunnel. Once out, they would steal Fenris' abandoned car and get away.

This would leave team RWBY deal with the monster. Ruby hoped that even if destroying it proved to be impossible, they could at least elude it until reinforcements arrived.

It was a risky plan, but they would pull through. She had faith; both in her friends to get out in time and in Robyn Hill to have convinced the council in order to assist them.

But above all, she had faith in her team; the three reckless and beyond any doubt stupid girls that had followed her to the literal hell on earth and back so many times in their lives.

She nodded firmly and gave the couple a warm, confident smile. "Get in position; it's time to begin the Grimm hunt."


	65. Spirit of Ancient Spite

**Hello again everyone! How are you doing? I hope those last two weeks treated you well! **

**Chapter 65 is up. Due to the, ahem, unexpected nature of this year's vacations, I didn't manage to make it a double one, but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless. **

**As usual, thank you so much for reading/ commenting/ following or favoring the series. You are the best! **

**See you next week with ch. 66. Until then, be well and have fun!**

* * *

Next to the tunnel's entrance to the cave Weiss and Blake stood silent, diligently waiting for the monster to come through. Nonexistent bystanders could easily assume they were on bad terms, but that was not the case.

The white and black of RWBY deeply appreciated each other's stoic and patient demeanor in times like these; the rest of their friends and team mates made enough noise as it was, especially Sun and Yang.

"It's a truly strange thing" Weiss broke the silence uncharacteristically. The cat girl raised an eyebrow, but didn't even dare avert her eyes from the tunnel "are you talking about Yang? Or Sophia?"

"There is nothing to say about Yang" Weiss firmly replied. "I made her worry so much with my childishness. I owe her a huge apology when I return to civilization; let her know how horrible I feel for my actions."

"I believe she knows that already and is just happy to have you back. Yang may be a loud one, but you know better than me she can understand when she has to be patient too" Blake commented. The alabaster girl nodded solemnly "I know. But I don't think it's bad for me to spoil her once in a while" the reply came.

The faunus smiled in agreement; she had felt the urgency to spoil Sun for how he treated her more than once and loved how much he always looked to appreciate it. She was sure Yang would do so as well.

"Sophia on the other hand…" Weiss' voice fell and her eyes dropped. "I feel weird. I somehow…" "You can't bring yourself to hate her despite all that she did, do you?" Blake cut her off, earning another nod.

"She mentally tortured me, made me kill captives with my own hands, forced me to fight for her cause and even shot someone I came to think as a friend those last few days" the ex-heiress replied.

"Yet, those last words of hers truly hit me. No matter how much of a horrible person one is they don't deserve to die all alone, having lost everything they stand for" she blinked a few tears away.

The yellow-eyed beauty stared at her friend for a few seconds. Her gaze was not of shock but of deep appreciation; a feeling the white girl made her experience almost every time they had such conversations.

"I am so glad you never change" Blake whispered. Weiss sighed deeply "in good faith, I would-" a powerful gust of wind hit them both head on, tussling their hair and forcing them to cover their eyes for a moment.

It was cold and harrowing, bringing the scent of old blood and decrepit soil. Their body hair stood on edge and both girls took position. _First part of the plan; guide it towards the outskirts, away from the plaza._

Weiss flicked Myrtenaster, spinning the chamber to the lightning dust canister. _"I know you can't aim properly like this"_ Ruby's voice sounded in her mind _"but I also know this will not stop you fight along with us."_

Two white colored glyphs formed below the huntresses, imbuing their muscles with the power of lightning. "How much can you keep them up?" Blake asked. "As much as necessary" the determined reply came.

Its arrival was as sudden as it was silent. To them, it felt as if the wind itself carried the monstrous shape out of the tunnel. A stag-shaped and ominous looking maw glared around through a pair of pitch-black orbs.

A huge cloud surrounded its form, like a cage made out of light blue air swirling like a maelstrom. Centered on the monster, it filled the cave with a white-bluish light that contrasted the green miasma-colored flames.

The wind on its own was heavy, sickly and chilling. Gleaming red eyes stared at them from the malevolent aura it spread; Weiss remembered the white Beowolves it could summon and shivered at the thought.

Its gaze lingered at the interior, until it became fixed on a single spot; the flame-wreathed mausoleum, where it had consumed Alginos and absorbed its power. It made one step forward towards the building-

Pointing forward, Weiss created a minor rune and shot a few fireballs towards the large Grimm. The sizzling beams of red-hot energy flew at the monster- and vanished as soon as they entered the blue cloud.

The monster turned its gaze towards them. Its deep, dead eyes stared at the two huntresses, while the blue and green lights were reflected on its skull.

"Go!" Blake and Weiss jumped backwards and used a series of gravity glyphs the Schnee had prepared in advance to land on top of a nearby roof. They quickly took position to see if the enemy had gotten the bait-

'_OOOOOO'_ leaving an unearthly screech, the Morkvind rushed forward. Without even trying to teleport, it lashed out and sliced at them with a pair of razor-sharp claws.

"Run!" Blake signaled and Weiss complied. Powered by the glyphs, they ran across the roof in a single moment and jumped away to the next one, rolling and flipping to not lose momentum.

'_OOOO' _the monster vanished completely, along with the pulsing blue aura surrounding it. Blake halted for a second "did we fail?" she asked-

"NO!" sensing the air around her suddenly freeze Weiss charged at her, hugging her tight as she used her body weight to send both of them crashing down on the street.

Before they even reached the ground, the Grimm appeared. Its hands fell on the spot where the cat faunus had been standing, slicing through the roof as if it was made of butter, tearing half the building apart.

They found themselves getting showered in rubble, auras protecting them from every serious injury. The ground around them shook and cracked, brimming with unholy energy.

It was Blake who acted this time. "Purple!" Weiss reacted to the girl's voice and reflexively cast a gravity glyph, propelling them away the moment vines and branches burst from the ground beneath them.

Breaking the hug, they let the dust throw them on the other end of the alley. They quickly jumped up and readied their weapons. The creature charged again, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.

Blake conjured a clone and Weiss made a series of platforms, skating to avoid its mad rush. They barely managed to run away, as it tore down the nearby houses' walls, throwing debris all over the place.

It raised its head, towering over the half-destroyed houses. It snorted, fuming at the persistence of its prey that refused to sit around and be devoured.

Said prey stared at it, standing in the middle of a much more spacious area. It resembled a small park if not for the lack of trees, with enough room for them to move.

This place was quite far from the tomb. Houses were scarcer here and the flickering green light weaker. Blake and Weiss raised their weapons again, as the monster opened its mouth to roar.

A pair of missiles flew across the opening, hitting the Morkvind head-on. Its aura absorbed the impact but the projectiles made a small hole in it allowing a third one, shot with deadly precision, pass through.

'_OOOOOOOOOOGGGGGG!'_ the immense roar of pain that followed made the girls flinch. The monster's chest exploded in a shower of red energy, covering the Grimm in a cloud of dust.

"Hi yah!" Yang jumped and landed in front of Weiss and Blake, at once assuming her boxing stance. She shot a wink towards her girlfriend's location, earning a cute little smirk in return. "We are ready Rubes!" she shouted in her earpiece.

"Great!" Ruby replied, ready to set Crescent Rose in place on top of a roof that had a clear view of the opening. "Phase two begins now! Let's give it all we've got!"

-o—

"_After we lure it in the open, the real battle begins"_ Ruby had explained in a hurry when making the plan. _"Yang will stand vanguard and Weiss shall provide support."_

"_And what about you?"_ her partner had asked. Ruby knelt and carefully continued assembling Crescent Rose's newest modifications. _"I will hit it with my mightiest blow- I leave ground control to Blake."_

The Morkvind roared, its tall figure bursting out of the smoke. "Here it comes!" Blake screamed, making Yang take one step forward to meet it head-on.

A pair of black glyphs spread on the air around her the exact moment it sliced at Yang with its claws. The woman jumped, avoiding the first cut and landed on the nearest glyph.

Not even standing for a second the blonde somersaulted on the second one. The monster's other hand thrust at her, but Blake was there, her sword screeching as its blade parried the sharp claws.

Ember Celica shot forward, a pair of missiles landing on its monstrous face, engulfing- the cold aura returned at once, instantly freezing both projectiles mid-air, making them shatter.

"Retreat!" Blake blinked away, her clone shattering under the power of the monstrous arm. But Yang faltered for a moment, feeling a mighty and unearthly chill cover her entire body.

Her eyes became heavy, her lips got dry and parched. She felt her sweat and saliva form crystals in her skin and mouth, scratching her skin.

That was all she managed to feel, before a strong power erupted from below her. Weiss' white glyph shot Yang up high and she followed by forming a series of stepping glyphs around the brawler.

Her accuracy wasn't as precise as her girlfriend had gotten used to, but she didn't mind at this point. Yang jumped around the makeshift path in order to accelerate, putting some more force in her jumps to make up for the wrong distance between the platforms.

Realizing what she was going to do, Blake shot a side glance at Weiss, who nodded while preparing a rune. _Please, focus! Don't even dare mess this one up!_

Blake unclasped Nightfall and started whirling it around. The white girl constructed a large ice glyph and shot it in order to freeze the left arm, while the whirling katana blade tried to entangle the right one.

"TAKE THIS!" Yang shot down, instantly activating her semblance. She unleashed all the force she had been storing since her encounter with the faunus and the cold aura, blazing like an infernal comet.

The Morkvind raised its head, but it was too late. Meteor Yang hit the freezing cloud head-on; the burst of heat totally dispersed the chilling wind, breaking the protective barrier.

Weiss' runes engulfed the entire left part of the monster, chilling it and slowing it down, while Blake succeeded in restraining the other arm.

"Yang! Withdraw!" Blake screamed as her sensitive nose picked a very dangerous scent- the heavy aroma of sparks and ozone produced by an electromagnetic current.

The blonde jumped away from the Grimm. It roared furiously and tried to break free, swinging its arms with all its might. And then, all of a sudden, it stopped.

Its eyes went directly towards the other side of the opening, where a sizzling sound had just been heard from. Ruby was kneeling at the top of the roof from where she had previously shot, taking aim at it.

Her beloved Scythe-rifle was set in front of her, surrounded by a series of long, horizontal energy barrels powered by yellow and purple dust. The entire system was pulsing with energy, rifle barrel filled in sparks.

Ruby smirked, visibly ecstatic. She could see the ancient monster's face even despite the lack of expressions on its skull. She could sense its fury transform; the primal beast started squirming, attempting to escape.

_Five… _the Morkvind roared, filling the cave with a wild cacophonous sound.

Four… Vines and branches burst from the ground, trying to impale the huntresses. Blake growled as she was forced to break away from it, freeing its right arm.

Three… Yang and Weiss flipped away, taking care of each other's back, slamming and cutting every piece of vegetation trying to assault their significant other.

Two… The Morkvind used its right arm to cut off its left one. The claws tore its dark flesh apart, disgusting black blood running down the open wound and evaporating as soon as it touched the ground, leaving a hissing goo behind.

One… Sensing there was no time left, or potentially desperate, it moved its arm in a maniacal manner and formed a huge, thick dome of vines and branches, trying to create-

Lightning Rose shot. Propelled by the properties of both lightning and gravity dust, Ruby's large caliber bullet flew as if shot by a mini rail gun, travelling the distance between her and her target in a split second. The only thing the monster could do was try and teleport, but it was too late.

It passed through the thick barrier as if it wasn't even there and hit the Grimm's right shoulder. 'OOOOOOO!' the horrible roar deafened them, as the impact tore its flesh, severing its remaining arm completely.

"Wow" Yang was awestruck. The monster flailed and smashed its head on a nearby building, spreading thick black goo from both wounds. It then crashed down with a sickening scream.

Ruby, eyes still on her target, started to quickly disassemble Lightning Rose and throwing the barrels one by one in her backpack. She was more than satisfied she had managed to strike such a potent hit, despite its teleportation messing up her aim, but-

The monstrous surge of energy that engulfed the entire cavern made the brunette click her tongue as she threw another barrel into her bag. "FALL BACK! HURRY!" Blake's voice sounded, making her heart pound.

Spikes, thorny branches and vines burst from everywhere- the ground, the walls and the ceiling. An entire forest assaulted them, rushing through the opening like a brown-gray wave.

"Yang!" "Weiss!" "Take cover!" the screams echoed inside the cavern. The three girls started jumping, punching, kicking and slicing, using as much of the surroundings as possible to avoid the onslaught.

Blake started slicing with immense speed, her magma-red blade shining inside the dark cloud of vines as it sliced all branches that rushed upon them.

Yang ran towards Weiss, jumping, punching and rolling between the diminutive openings she could find out. Her skin got scarred, her aura shook and her nerves wracked in pain, but she kept pushing.

Thick branches burst out from beneath her, hitting her in the chest and making her lose balance. She fell down and rolled, shooting missiles at everything that came closer to her in a frenzied-

A colossal glyph materialized from below. "Stay still!" Weiss' voice was heard, before a huge explosion wracked the area, engulfing them in red hot flames.

Yang felt her arms and legs burning as her lover's fire rune consumed all vegetation, turning the massive wave into a dead mass of char-coaled wood and plantation.

Silence fell on the street. Yang stared at Weiss, who was panting and gasping, strain visible on her. And then she looked at Blake, slowly and steadily walking towards them.

"You have to work on your aim, Weiss" Ruby's voice cut off the silence as she landed between them, backpack strapped on her back "you almost hit Yang and Blake with that blast" she added, earning a nod from the seemingly frustrated woman.

"I know…" she stood up, accepting Yang's hand "but at least now it's over and I will have the time to fix my e-" a pulse of energy passed through them, making all girls shiver.

The flames far away roared and multiplied. The entire cavern got swallowed in a sickening green light. The ground shook and pulsed, its surface covered by a sickening, sweetly smell like rotting blood.

Monstrous forms got reflected in the walls, like twisted abominations that had escaped from the wicked Nursery Rhymes Weiss had been singing them lately.

"What the… ACTUAL EFFING HELL?" Yang's voice grew into a horrified scream, as she saw branches burst from beneath the ground again, but this time ignoring them and rushing at the Morkvind's body.

Ruby's eyes narrowed. And then opened wide, seeing the vines pierce through the stumps of its shoulders, molding into forming long and twisted arms. She got reminded of the Anathema and shivered.

Black, malicious orbs shone and the Stag-headed monster stood again in front of them. Its white skull reflected the shining green pulse, its black body getting tinted in the miasma.

It raised its new branch-made appendages and opened its horned maw letting out a cacophonous roar that made the air heavy with malice.

'**OOOOOOO!' **But this time, to the terror of the huntresses, the roar was answered. **'Ooooooooo**!' the baying of wolves echoed from the mausoleum, as if responding to the monster's call.

And then another, from the village. And another, from the monoliths. And another, another one and one more. All huntresses stifled a gasp, as the sounds multiplied with every second passing by.

Large Beowolves, made of green flame, stepped out of the miasma, the earth beneath their feet sizzling and burning with every step made.

In the outskirts, the shadows cast by the horrendous flames turned into black Beowolves, their bodies swirling as if made of the cave's darkest shadows, pitch-black eyes the only indication of their existence.

The Morkvind's howling grew, more and more wolves bursting out of the flames and jumping from the cavern walls. Roars, howls and loud baying sounds filled the interior, as the Grimm answered to their King.

"What in the meaning of Dust is this?" Weiss took one step back, Yang staying close to her. "Blake" Ruby asked "how much time has passed?"

The cat girl stared at her scroll, hands trembling as she tried to also not let the stag-headed terror out of her eyes "a little less than an hour" she replied.

Ruby stowed Crescent Rose away and drew Thorn, before turning to meet her team's anxious stares. She flashed a weak smile "time to go. Stay cool- and start running."

-o—

The sound of combat filled their ears even after they had walked pretty far into the tunnel. Panting and gasping, Alex ran forward with Ilia at her back, trying to secure the area in front of them.

Just behind her, Albus was doing his best to keep up. His shadow had split in eight parts, forming small tendrils that carried over the seven unconscious Blood Moon members, along with Wenge Knight.

"We are nearing the exit. Please, hang in there just a little longer" Alex's voice was melodious and gentle, filled in tender love. _I must be looking pretty bad for her to act like this,_ the boy thought.

Well, if he wanted to be honest they were doing pretty well so far; way better than he had been expecting. It was a testament to how powerful team RWBY was to keep that monster away from them for so long.

Albus took a breath and wiped the sweat running down his forehead. "I am fine; let's keep moving" he started moving, ignoring the flaring pain he felt at his lungs.

Not eased even by little, yet fully aware of the gravity their situation had, the bat girl ran ahead to clear the area. Considering they were far ahead and trusting her friends' fighting skills, she opened her mouth.

A small humming sound filled the cavern; making Albus hope nothing was lurking behind them to hear it. "I can feel the exit! We are really close, honey!" the enthusiasm in her voice blew his worries away.

Putting a lot of effort, he strained his body even more, pushing his aura reserves to their maximum limit. They made a mad dash forward, the light at the end of the tunnel visible after a few minutes.

They stepped out, ready to scream in exhaustion- and froze in place as they came face-to-face with the barrel of a large military-grade rifle.


	66. What Legends Are Made Of

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine! **

**Chapter 66 is here. As always, I hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

"TAKE THIS!" Yang's right hook sent the burning Beowolf's head flying, its body evaporating into a burst of green fire. Like it had happened the previous six times, though, the flames showered her body and arms.

"Gah! This really hurts!" she complained, raising her arms to prevent the greenish sparks form hurting her eyes. "I told you already!" Weiss' voice reprimanded her "jump away after you land a hit!"

"Yeah, got it; sorry!" Yang turned around to check on her girlfriend at the exact moment Weiss skewered a flaming Grimm with Myrtenaster. Her aim was off, however, allowing the Grimm to open its jaws at her.

Instinctively, Yang shot a missile at it open mouth while the petite girl kicked its stomach, using it as a foothold to flip away as the projectile annihilated it in a powerful explosion of red and green flames.

The ex-heiress landed at her lover's back, her face a mixture of relief and annoyance; a combination only Weiss Schnee could ever manage achieve with such perfection. "Thanks" she said.

"No problem" Yang replied, lilac eyes moving to the other two RWBY members. Having a natural affinity in terms of hit and run tactics, Blake and her sister had moved forward, cleaning the path to the tunnel while bursting back and forth away from the Grimm death blasts.

Meanwhile, she and Weiss were slowly advancing from behind, both keeping distance to avoid getting blown up and keeping an eye in case the Morkvind decided to stop summoning and actively pursue them.

Up until now, that seemed unlikely- something all four of them were extremely pleased with. Those endless Beowolves made of unholy fire and deep shadows were quite threatening on their own to begin with.

"RUBY! FOUR!" she screamed, as she saw a looming red-eyed shadow prowl from a building's cover and charge her sister's undefended back, its dark and formless body providing enough cover to avoid getting-

Blake's falcon blade severed its legs, turning it back to the amorphous shadow it had been created from. To provide cover for her friend, Ruby swung with Thorn, parrying a series of fiery claws attacking her.

"Move!" On Ruby's command, Weiss created a path of platforms and both of them started to jump around, avoiding as much as possible the pouncing beasts or even repelling them in the cases her aim faltered.

The couple managed to reach the safety circle their friends had created, immediately turning their gaze to the back; the stag-headed terror still stood, focused on the conjuration of its servants.

"This is some luck" the cyan-eyed girl commented, furiously stabbing the closest enemy and allowing Yang to kick it away before it could burst and hit her. "Sounds really fishy, doesn't it?" Blake commented.

"Nothing we can do about that! Now, move to our 3!" Ruby interjected, having fully assumed her 'team leader' mannerism. "Why are we going back to the village?" Yang asked her sister, as they ran after her.

"We are not going to last a lot like this" she explained, leading the way. "Weiss, did you save the earth dust like I asked you?" Her partner sent Ruby a glare, the _'are you even serious, you dolt?'_ evident in her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry" she giggled. "So, this is the plan; we are luring them all in the central street. After they reach us, we make a full turn and use the rooftops to outrun them to the exit."

"That sounds reasonable" the blonde agreed. "Wave incoming!" Blake screamed, pointing towards a small pack of green Beowolves running towards them from the temple.

"Leave it to us!" both sisters ran forward. Yang started the attack by sending a pair of missiles that disoriented their enemies who tried their best to avoid the lethal blast.

But that let them open for Ruby. Thorn was not as powerful as Crescent Rose, but it was really durable and significantly lighter, making it quite easy to use in combination with her semblance.

Five bursts from the brunette, accompanied by quick yet not so precise slashes, were enough to destroy most of the monsters, her sister going in to deliver the finishing blows to the few who survived her attack.

Blake and Weiss reached them soon after, spending no more than a few seconds to dispatch a pair shadow Grimm that tried to ambush the Rose-Xiao Long pair.

They reached the main street and stopped to catch their breath while anticipating their enemies to catch up to them. The flames were still going wild, showering them in their wicked, unworldly light.

"As soon as they arrive, we jump on that rooftop and we start fighting until most of them reach us" Ruby told them. "We fight and try to keep open a path over the roofs, right?" Weiss asked her.

"Exactly" she wiped her forehead with her glove. "This is our only and best chance, before it realizes we are willing to leave this place. So, let's give it all we have."

Three determined nods was the only thing her friends managed to give her before the flames roared again and the walls started animating the next horde of shadows.

"Here they come!" Blake announced. "Let's go team!" Ruby swapped Thorn for Crescent Rose, her baby feeling as powerful in her arms as ever.

The next wave was as numerous and as ferocious as before. Dozens of blazing wolves sprung out from the flickering flames, running down the mausoleum's staircase in pursuit of their prey.

Meanwhile, shadows animated from both the walls of the cave and the houses around them, making the huntresses clench their teeth as they melded into the surrounding darkness, waiting for a chance to attack.

Yang took once more a boxing stance, legs and arms closer to her body than the usual form. Weiss grabbed Myrtenaster and checked her half empty canister. She would have to make good use of it.

Blake took a few deep breaths; she was doing great, if she wanted to be honest. All of her usual horrible illusions were so fleeting, they barely affected her now. Her glove-covered hand gripped Nightfall hard.

Ruby carefully walked to the back- she had to make sure no large wolf shadow would flank them as her friends kept the flaming ones at bay.

The horde advanced swiftly, as well as any other animated Grimm. They ran towards the central road, flanking team RWBY from all sides. Their numbers were so great they looked like a burning wave of green death-

"Show them what we are made of" Ruby's voice was flat, emotionless and barely audible above the sizzling of the flames and the stomping of countless paws.

Three nods were the only answer before team RWBY sprang into action against the enemies' frontline.

Yang was first. She used Ember Celica to jump at the enemy lines that were coming from the temple, gaining enough momentum to unleash a flurry of powerful punches and kicks.

One after the other, wolves fell down, the blonde moving constantly in order to avoid the brunt of their death throes but still letting a bit of the flames sting her in order to power up her semblance.

Weiss had to take care of the left side. As soon as Beowolves appeared, she spun her fingers and let her semblance do what she apparently was currently lacking; fight in close quarters.

A series of large white glyphs appeared on the ground. From them, one after the other, a small army of human-sized Arma Gigas jumped and quickly readied their swords in order to intercept the advancing pack.

Immediately, two large shadows jumped towards her unprotected back in order to- Ruby decapitated both of the shadow Grimm with a swift cut from her weapon, running back to her vantage point at once.

Completely undeterred, her partner commanded the white knights to run forward and they complied, immediately engaging the Grimm. The large white swords swung, quite dexterously repelling the green wave.

The Grimm were found under attack from a surprisingly stalwart force and, under the pale girl's expert orders, started getting repelled.

On the right side, Blake was faring equally well. Determined to keep as much energy as possible for later, she utilized her wits and reflexes to dance around the adversaries, her katana easily slicing through them.

Ruby shot a couple more shadows and then spun back to position. She let her eyes trail over the scene. Weiss, Blake and Yang seemed to be faring well- exceptionally well, come to think of it.

_Not only we are holding them back; we are also lowering their numbers. Something is off_ the brunette thought. _It is way too easy. Wait; there are no more wolves getting animated? _

"IT'S COMING!" Weiss; scream sounded as soon as Ruby's mind made the connection. It would seem her partner had realized the same thing as her. "TIME TO GO!" Ruby shouted at her team.

Weiss commanded her knights to stall the wolves as much as possible. Then, she jumped backwards and created a platform mid-air. "Blake! Yang!" she screamed, waiting for her friends to join her.

The bumblebee pair wasted no time. Yang used Ember Celica to shoot at an enemy and let the force of the impact carry her away, flipping in midair to land next to her lover.

Blake simply blinked besides them. As soon as she landed, Weiss propelled them upwards and they soon found themselves next to Ruby, on top of a roof next to the street they had been fighting so far in.

Beneath them, the blazing and shadow wolves swarmed, filling the roads beneath them. Weiss' knights were finally overwhelmed, the girl losing sight of them under the massive horde.

The Morkvind wasn't yet to be seen, however. "Move!" they all sprang in action, jumping to the next rooftop. They landed quite easily, rolled forward and then jumped up to not lose momentum.

From behind, a living mass of teeth, sickening flames and flickering shadows followed. Hisses, crackles and roars filled their ears as they jumped to the next roof, only sparing a few glances to their back.

"They are not catching up to us easily" Blake commented while they landed on the next one. "Thank Dust! I would appreciate a little luck in this case!" Yang shouted.

The situation was intense, but they managed to outrun their enemies, crossing the entire village from rooftop to rooftop and finally jumping down to the ground in front of the tunnel entrance.

"Here we are!" Ruby said. "Let's go-" a sudden gust of wicked wind cut her off, making all of them shiver in anticipation. They already knew what this wind carried along with it.

The monster appeared before them, its mighty posture and loud howls being amplified by the howls and screams of the massive Grimm wave from behind them.

However, among the loud bays and horrid cackling sounds, Blake's ears perked on top of her head. They had caught something different; a faint sound, like_... what_?

"MISSILE!" Blake screamed. Both trusting the cat faunus completely and trained well enough to react in time, all members of team RWBY jumped to the left, away from the incoming blast.

The Morkvind, displaying immense instinct, fell on all four legs and avoided the projectile that passed above its massive body and hit the Grimm wave head on.

The explosion instantly evaporated all advancing monsters, scattering fire, debris and miasmatic smoke all over the place. Team RWBY stared at the smoke rising up from the crater in visible confusion.

"How could you miss something that big?" a determined female voice echoed from the tunnel. Somehow, it sounded familiar to most of the huntresses.

"Finally" Ruby said, staring at the source of the voice, as one by one armed huntresses burst into the cave, guns held towards the Morkvind. Among them, two teams of AK-200s were visible, guns ready to shoot.

Behind them, dressed in winter expedition outfits, Robyn Hill and May Merigold stepped in, accompanied by the most unexpected people; Elm Ederne and Marrow Amin, dressed in high-ranking military uniforms.

The two Ace Ops' members moved forward; they looked exactly as they did the last time team RWBY had crossed paths with them. Marrow's eyes narrowed in skepticism, as Elm groaned very audibly.

"Since when do Grimm sense artillery fire like this?" she complained. "I think you just missed" Marrow replied. "No time to talk!" Robyn strode ahead, her weapon armed.

"Surround the Grimm and secure team RWBY's path!" the councilor's voice commanded towards both the huntresses and the Atlas' forces. "Create a perimeter-" "NO! STAY AWAY FROM IT!"

Ruby's voice came a little too late. The stag-headed terror rose, its form towering over Atlesians and Mantleans alike. Dark orbs pulsed, sinister hatred oozing from its very pore.

A dark pulse filled the room, the entire cavern shaking. Houses cracked, rocks got smashed and flames grew as the summoned Grim vanished as if a violent breeze had just scattered them away.

"What…" May whispered in awe "… is this thing?" Vines burst out from the ground, this time aiming for the unexpected intruders that had dared disrupt the King's feast.

Elm swung hard, smashing all incoming attacks with Marrow's help, both of them angrily seeing the AKs getting annihilated by the sudden massive attack.

"Help them!" at their leader's command, team RWBY sprang in action, running by the deadly appendages towards their comrades.

Blake and Ruby used their semblances, carrying as many huntresses as they could away from the eruption. Yang rushed to help May and Weiss ran towards Robyn.

"Councilor! We must get out of here!" she created a shield in front of her, allowing Robyn's weapon to strike down anything that tried burst through it. "Not without the others!" she replied.

"Yang!" the alabaster girl turned around to see if she could help her- and felt her heart stop.

The blonde woman had, without telling them, used the last of her fire dust to pierce her shoulder, activating her dust-powered semblance boost, protecting herself and Merigold with explosive punches.

But at the moment Weiss' cyan eye fell on the woman she loved, her aura gave off, allowing a large vine to pierce her leg, throwing her to the ground with an audible scream.

Time seemed to stop. _No._ Ruby and Blake were on the other side; they couldn't see or hear them behind the murderous forest. _No._ And Yang was being drawn away, possibly to be torn apart by the monster.

_No_.

Yang would die.

_No. _

She couldn't save her- she was out of dust and almost out of aura to use her glyphs.

_No. _

She was going to lose the girl she loved; she would watch her getting eaten alive, hoping for a-

_I SAID NO! _

The cavern shook. The vines trembled, releasing Yang who stood up and started running, clenching her teeth in pain. The Morkvind turned around, as it felt its magic being sapped by an unknown source.

"LEAVE YANG ALONE!" fed up with everything that happened in that accursed land since the damned moment they had stepped into Sophia Carmel's party, Weiss roared with all her might.

The cavern was lit in a bright white light, as the runes carved on the walls and the monoliths seemed to be pulsing. The air resonated with her will, forming a colossal glyph on the ground beneath them.

A series of hisses broke the tension, as nine large reptilian heads burst out from it. They were followed by long, serpentine necks that ended in a massive, four-legged body. Each head was covered in horned plating.

The beast, definitely Grimm in origin save for the bluish-white color it had, roared with nine ferocious mouths and stood heads to head facing the Morkvind whose attention was now totally focused on it.

"DESTROY IT!" Weiss was delirious. She was really pushing herself over the edge here- summoning the Hydra was an immensely taxing task for her and her current state was far from suitable.

However, at this point she simply didn't care. She had stopped caring the very moment she heard Yang scream in pain. Her diminishing aura; her mental fortitude; her very existence had only one single purpose- annihilate the monster and take her loved ones back home with her.

And the strongest summon she had in her arsenal was there to make her wish come true. It drew its heads back- and lashed out at the stag headed terror, giving it a series of powerful, bone-cutting bites.

'_**OOOOOO!'**_ the towering terror howled in agony. The vines retreated from the humans' and faunus' side and shot at the Hydra, entangling its massive body.

That didn't even stop the nine-headed Grimm from attacking again. The stag used its horns to skewer one of the mouths, while two more heads were fiercely grabbed by the clawed arms.

The other six, however, bit Morvind's neck, torso and legs. Instead of trying to cut off pieces, however, they started moving left and right in an attempt to tear its body to shreds by force.

"We have to go while it is occupied!" Marrow shouted, earning a silent approval from all inside the cave. "May! Lead everyone outside!" Robyn commanded.

"Yang you fool!" Blake jumped right next to her partner. "Get Weiss!" she simply replied while running towards her delirious girlfriend, tears running down her eyes and blood down her shoulder and foot.

"The dust is still hurting you!" "JUST GET WEISS OUT! I CAN WALK ON MY OWN!" she screamed at the cat girl. "There is no need for tha-" a blast of energy cut her off.

The pair stared back in horror, seeing that the Hydra had finally found a way to tear the Morkvind in pieces. But, unlike what they hoped and exactly like they feared, it didn't vanish.

Instead, they all stifled a gasp as thick, black ooze started running down from the pieces of torn flesh and bone, instantly closing the openings with a disgusting liquid sound.

It was that moment all of RWBY finally felt the same powerful and alien energy they had sensed back in Yugure after Nyctos had decided to take them seriously. A vast, horrible miasma bent on destroying all life.

The pair felt their breath leave their body. That was truly it- a successor to the Eldergrimm Alginos. They had pushed it to its limits and had only managed to hasten its awakening.

Without even breaking a sweat, the Morkvind swung its claws, instantly taking down half of the Hydra's heads, forcing the massive Grimm to vanish in a burst of light, as its slayer let out a wild, primordial roar.

Weiss let out a pained scream that made Yang's heart nearly burst out of her chest, before losing her senses and falling right in Ruby's waiting arms.

The silver-eyed huntress waited for a couple seconds as Robyn Hill, Elm, Marrow and the bumblebee pair ran past her into the tunnel.

Sparing one last glance at the hulking terror who seemed too absorbed into its awakening to notice them, she grabbed the earth dust vial from Weiss' belt and tossed it behind her as she followed her comrades.

-o—

The sounds of footsteps, accompanied by panting, gasping and running echoed in the hastily sealed tunnel. For the 6th time after the mad dash had started, Robyn picked up her radio.

"Blow up sector 4! And standby for sectors 3 and 2 as well!" she close the radio and almost immediately, the sound of a well-controlled dust explosion reached them, accompanied by a gust of heated wind.

"I would normally say that nine series of well-planned cave-ins would be able to keep it inside, but after what I saw, I doubt it" Elm, carrying Yang in her arms, exclaimed.

"This is the nature of those things" Ruby, still refusing to let anyone else carry her partner, replied. "They far surpass everything I have ever seen or heard about normal Grimm."

"We are getting closer to the exit where the others are waiting" Robyn said. "We are leaving this place as soon as we find them" Blake added.

"And get some treatment for Weiss" Yang followed through. "Funny thing for someone with a hole in her leg to say" Marrow commented.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, furry-tail" she spat back. "Shut up both or I will drop _you_ on _his_ head!" Elm shouted, earning a couple of angry glares from them.

"Spare the comedy and pick up the pace for Dust's sake!" Robyn picked her radio after scolding them. "We are reaching the exit- prepare to leave at once and blow up sectors 3 and 2!"

-o—

It felt like waking up from a nightmare. That was exactly what Yang felt as she looked towards the now-sealed tunnel entrance through the car's window.

Weiss was soundly asleep in her lap. The medics had given her a quick check-up and assured them she wasn't in danger as the eleven-vehicle convoy assembled by Ms. Hill was driving fast away from Gloomharrow.

Blake, Albus and Alex were sleeping peacefully opposite of her, next to Ilia's stretcher. She heard a soft moaning sound coming from her right where Ruby was sitting, her head placed at the blonde's shoulder.

"It feels almost like a lie; leaving this place alive" she whispered to her sister in order to not wake up anyone else. "I know; I can't count how many times I felt like we would die in there" the low-voiced reply came.

"Well, in the end we survived and that's what matters; thanks to you and those two, Rubes" she pointed at Albus and Alex's forms. "Thanks to everyone, Yang" the brunette protested.

They remained silent for a few moments before Yang spoke again "so, what now? Do we continue searching?" Ruby blinked twice and then replied. "We will discuss it - but for now I just want to sleep please."

Yang smiled, feeling the exhaustion and the medication catching up to her. She placed her head next to her sister's, making both of them smile

"_Dead Wind Whispers in the trees… _

_But runs away when it sees… _

_Four girls with hearts of gold… _

_Huntresses powerful and bold… _

_Let it-"_

"Yang please stop; you are going to make me see nightmares in my sleep" Ruby protested. "I will chase away all of them, don't worry." "My nightmares are going to be you singing creepy Atlasian poems."

"You have grown way too witty Rubes" she faked dissatisfaction. "Well, my sister is to blame. And my partner and my reading buddy" Ruby replied.

"Now let me sleep" she yawned "and forget the image I saw just before the dust sealed the tunnel from behind me." Yang rubbed both her head and Weiss', choosing not to ask her what that image was.

Ruby closed her eyes, hoping she wouldn't dream of a tall, Stag-headed monster howling under the miasmatic shadows of the sealed cave, as its skin slowly _melt_ into bubbling goo, pulsing with wicked power and unearthly malice, remnant of the vengeful gods of a bygone era.

* * *

**This concludes the main part of Gloomharrow arc. A three-part epilogue shall follow and then we shall proceed to the third arc of the main story. **

**As I asked in Grimmwater, I would very much appreciate any sort of comments about the good and bad parts of it and I would also like to ask whether you thought it was better or worse than the previous arc. **

**Thanks as always for following/favoring/ simply reading the story. I will see you all next week! **


	67. Just Weiss

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine! **

**Ch. 67 is up. As I said before, it's going to be the first out of a three-part epilogue for the Gloomharrow Arc. **

**As always, I hope you enjoy it. If you find the extended epilogue was a little too much, please let me know.**

**Thanks once more for following/favoring/reading the story! You are amazing, everyone! I will see you all next week! **

* * *

_**March 6**__**th**__**, 86**_

The sounds of kitchenware being set and plates being carried around accompanied the delicious aroma of stew that filled Mathew Moose's cabin, currently occupied by more people he ever thought it would.

"The water is boiling; time to add flavor. Could you chop the garlic and onion for me, Albus?" the tall faunus asked the young boy. "Sure" he replied, but was suddenly cut off by the sound of a plate breaking.

"Alex! I told you to be more careful!" Yang's voice came out from the living room, followed by a set of apologies. "Just let her be, Yang; there are many plates here that were simply standing around seeing no use."

Yang, setting up the table with the bat-girl's help, sent the albino a fake harsh glare before turning towards the other part of the room, where Ilia and Blake were seated, sipping some tea while watching the news.

"**Moving on to more important news"** the Atlesian reporter's flat and professional voice filled the room, as Blake slightly raised the volume.

"**A few hours ago, Mr. Jacques Schnee, CEO of Schnee Dust Company, formally announced the annexation of Carmel Communications." **"Say what!?" Yang turned around and moved towards the two girls.

"**As you remember, the last owner of the company's major stock and daughter of its founder, Ms. Sophia Carmel, passed away three weeks ago along with 26 more staff members, due to a horrible accident that befell her during a routine facility inspection in Aegis forest." **

"That sly hyena!" Blake hissed "Sophia's death is still fresh yet he ran to feast on her company's corpse." Ilia moved slightly, her wounds still annoying her, to allow the others listen.

"**We shall now hear what the executioners of Ms. Carmel's will, Mr. Peros Bishop and Mr. Wenge Knight had to say on the unexpected matter."**

"Good Lord" everyone's face dropped as they saw the two men step up on the podium. They were finely dressed in suits and well-shaved, but the sadness and tiredness etched on their faces was clear as day.

"**First, I would like to start by thanking every staff member of Carmel Communications for their help and support. My deepest condolences and unwavering respect are for the families of those who followed Ms. Carmel to the afterlife, bravely supporting her to the very end." **

Alex clicked her tongue "I know it's sad, but what Peros is saying... it feels like they are messing around with us. It's their fault and Carmel's those people died to begin with!" she stared at the other three girls.

"I for one" Blake replied, turning her attention away from the screen, "believe their circumstances were a little unique. I mean, it is obvious they did it for her sake, not expecting to gain anything for them."

"One should always be careful and mindful where they pledge their loyalty to" the albino countered. "I am not so sure about that" Yang interjected, making a pale eyebrow raise in question.

"What do you mean?" Ilia asked her, despite having already figured out most of what the tall woman wanted to say.

"I mean, if at some point any of you guys turned murderous, I am not sure I could bring myself to stop caring for you" warm eyes finished, making the three faunus look away in embarrassment.

"Carmel might have been a bitch and a dangerous manipulator" Blake picked up for her partner "but those two clearly cared for her; I can't imagine a more terrible punishment for them than losing her, Alex."

"**As for the next day"** Wenge was now on the podium, his voice was heavy despite the overflowing sadness, immediately grabbing their full attention.

"**We personally guarantee, both in our honor and in the good name of this company that Carmel family tried so hard to preserve, that we will devote all we have towards helping our former employees to find new work places" **he gulped.** "Like Ms. Carmel would have wanted." **

"At least they seem to be trying their best" Yang rubbed the back of her hair, turning to the others. They were all staring around, visibly sad due to the news.

"Come on, let's change topic and cheer up!" she decided to play the big sister card once more. "We are supposed to prepare a party for Weiss' recovery, not a memorial service! Get up and start helping!"

All three of them nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed after realizing the men had already started cooking. "Speaking of the party; wasn't Ms. Hill supposed to come too?" Ilia asked, while setting up plates.

"I talked to her earlier; she said Ruby is picking her up after she gets Weiss, Dr. Polendina and Penny" Blake replied. Yang's eyes narrowed and she sent a gaze towards the black-haired beauty.

"Now that you mentioned it, isn't it way too suspicious that Ruby, who usually lazes until ten, ran off to get Weiss on her own and only left us a note to prepare the party?" she wondered.

"On its own I would say no, it isn't" the reply came. "But if you add the mysterious all-nighters she pulls in the couch…" "And the texts she gets from her _fun club_…" Alex added. "And her jumpiness…" Ilia picked up.

Yang put a glass on the table. "Team White Rose is plotting something, or my hair is purple" she narrowed her eyes in a hilarious attempt to sound ominous.

-o—

"Hmmm~ hmm~ hmm~ hmmm" Ruby's merry humming filled Weiss' ears as the younger girl kept braiding her partner's hair. "You are quite good at this; is Yang teaching you?" the alabaster girl asked.

"Jaune, actually" she replied. "He loves playing with my hair" she added while a pink tinge formed in her cheeks. "And I thought since we went to all that trouble, we may as well do something different to yours."

Ruby took out a ribbon "besides, we want you to look even more gorgeous when Dr. Polendina removes the bandages- and for what comes after that" she giggled, making Weiss mimic her face color.

"Oh I agree so much!" a cheerful and bright voice filled the room as a familiar orange-haired girl slammed open the door "it is going to be fantastic dear friend Weiss!"

Weiss' uncovered eye glared at Ruby "I have the suspicion that I asked 'not to tell anyone' didn't I?" Ruby raised her eyes in defense "I only told her we are having a recovery party! Nothing about the-MMFF!"

"Yes, yes, thank you very much Ruby. Now please shut your mouth!" she hastily covered her partner's eye under the robotic girl's confused stare.

"I am glad to see you are not very nervous, Weiss" Dr. Polendina came in, slowly walking on his robotic chair. "Are you ready to see the results of the surgery?"

"Yes" she firmly replied. "I am a little anxious, but I can't shake that thought out of my mind; that everything is going to be absolutely fine."

"That's the spirit" Pietro walked closer, Ruby and Penny moving aside to let him do his work. The brunette felt her scroll vibe again and sent it a quick glance. It was Yang, asking her if everything was all right- again.

"I sincerely hope everything is ready and accounted for, Ruby" the pale girl asked as the doctor removed the bandages. "YuP" Ruby replied and checked her pockets while staring at Weiss. "Everything is fine- or not?"

-o—

"They are late" Yang said for the umpteenth time, staring at the snow-covered plains out of the window. "Why are they late?" she turned at her friends, all seated around the living room.

"You seriously have to-" Albus started, but was cut off when the blonde sent him a fiery gaze. "And why isn't Ruby replying? I thought the new communication system Hill established in the place works perfectly!"

Matthew groaned, albeit in a good-natured manner. "The system my new Boss has installed works just fine, young lady. I was talking to the huntresses' HQ half an hour ago, trust me."

"Besides, Ruby sent you that everything was fine, didn't she?" Blake said, trying to get over her anxiety. "She said everything was _kind of_ fine, Blakey! What am I supposed to understand from this?"

"Well… maybe Ms. Hill stood them up?" Ilia tried to ease the woman. "I hope this is- THEY ARE HERE!" she jumped up, ran towards the door in order to get out of the house with speed enough to rival her sister's.

She didn't manage to- as soon as she opened the wooden door Ruby, wearing her best smile, appeared in front of her.

"RUBY ROSE!" Yang roared. "I HOPE YOU HAVE A VERY GOOD-" "She forgot a favor I asked of her, so take it out on me if you will" a familiar tone lacing Weiss' words cut Yang off as the pale girl stepped in after her partner.

And that was not the only thing that made Yang stop talking, of course. The tall woman's lilac eyes opened wide as they were reflected in a pair of blue ones, melting all her doubts and fears.

Weiss' left eye prosthetic was perfect. It seemed exactly like a normal one, save for the fact the alabaster girl had chosen a blue color just one hue darker than her normal cyan; noticeable only to the trained eye.

A large scar now ran down the entire left part down to her cheek, but only served as a reminder of what the woman in front of her was like; Yang's mind found it incredibly hot.

Her hair was let down, a pair of braids supported by navy blue ribbons running down her shoulders. She wore a long matching skirt and jacket, with magenta blouse and low-heeled shoes.

And that was not even the more surprising part; in her jacket's chest, a huntress' emblem was deftly sewn. Only it wasn't her original Schnee family snowflake, but another one.

It was diagonally cut in half, the upper and left part being formed by a series of cold crystals while the right and bottom was made of roaring fire.

Weiss let her left hand play with her hair, blushing in embarrassment. "So, what do you think? Do the new eye and emblem look good on me?"

Yang coughed in her metal arm "I am trying to convince myself to not hijack the car and run away with you. You look even hotter than usual and that is no easy feat!"

Weiss smiled at her, annihilating Yang's heart even more. "I have you to match- I must be at the top of my game." Yang felt her face heat up and decided to turn around and stare at everyone else.

Everyone else stood, smiling, staring at the couple. Even Robyn Hill, Mr. Polendina and Penny had walked in, looking at them. "Ahem… I see… we… prepared a party for-"

The blonde turned around to show her girlfriend to a chair, when a sudden tug in her arm made her stop. "Weiss?" she turned and asked, her confused gaze matching everyone else's- except for Ruby's.

"Yang" Weiss' face took a serious expression. "I want you to know that I wanted this to happen under better circumstances; if possible with all our friends around and in a place that I had specially prepared for us."

Lilac orbs- and most of the other's to be honest- opened wide as Weiss fiddled with her pockets. "I also had prepared a seven-page speech. That dolt of a sister you have laughed her ass out when she heard it."

"Weiss-baby you don't-" "I wanted to tell you all sorts of things- where did I put it- about how much you mean to me and how loved and safe and blessed you make me feel."

"She isn't-" Ilia asked. "Oh, I think she is" Blake replied, smiling widely as Weiss finally picked a small jewel box out of her pockets.

"But I forgot every single thing I wanted to tell, as soon as I saw you smiling at me with those beautiful eyes. So, forgive me but I will do it now before I die of embarrassment" she said, her face red as Yang's.

Weiss opened the pocket and knelt, revealing a small golden ring, made to resemble her emblem, using white gems as the cold part and red as the blazing one. A series of impressed gasps filled the cabin.

"I ask of you; not as Weiss Schnee, heiress of the SDC, but as just Weiss, huntress of the SHU, successor of Nicholas Schnee's will and member of RWBY" she stood up, eyes trembling.

"Will you be my fiancée and let me carry the Schnee-Xiao Long crest with me forever? I will-MMMFFFF!" her speech was cut off, as Yang grabbed and kissed her, ignoring Blake, Alex and Ilia's happy cries.

-o—

_**March 7**__**th**__**, 86**_

The snow was once more gently falling over the city of Atlas, giving the proud and tall cypress trees a thick and fluffy white coating.

The same cold, puffy layers covered the marble graves and well-paved roads of Atlas' cemetery, as team RWBY solemnly stood in front of an austere, new tombstone.

_**Kendrick Fern **_

_**Born on a Monday.**_

_**Beloved friend and comrade.**_

There was no picture, pompous farewell lines or great carvings on it. Only one bouquet of flowers adorned the glistering snow covered marble in front of which all four girls stood still, similar bouquets in their hands.

After a few minutes, they one by one moved next to the grave. Each one wanted to pay their own respects to the man who had given his life shielding Weiss with his own body from Sophia Carmel's bullet.

"Thanks for saving my partner" Ruby whispered. "You were a great guy. People like you are what makes all our fights and struggles worth it."

"You were everything a faunus should strive to be, Kendrick. I will do my best to uphold what you and Carlo lived for" Blake said. "Ilia is sorry for not coming- she will visit you as soon as her wounds are healed."

"Hey" Yang awkwardly waved towards the marble stone. "We never met, you and I. But I hope you can hear me. Cause I wanted to thank you- thank you so much for protecting the woman I love."

She rubbed her watering eyes with her right hand, her ring visible on her finger. "I hope you are having fun with your buddy up there; he was an ok guy too, from what I heard."

Weiss knelt in front of the grave. She had put a lot of effort to convince the cemetery caretakers allow a non-name faunus be buried here, but this was one time she was happy with the power her name had.

"You helped me in my time of need, despite me being a Schnee" she gulped. "You reminded me who I am and helped me stand up and reclaim my lost determination."

Weiss blinked a few times, trying her best to smother the tears coming down her face. "And, on top of that, you saved my life. You gave me a chance to see the ones I love again" she whimpered.

"You are my hero, Kendrick. Just as Winter was. I don't care if no one else ever hears of this; for me- for us- you will always be the brave hero who saved my life."

She stood up with Yang's help and one after the other team RWBY let five bouquets next to the one Albus and Alex had placed earlier today.

"Farewell Kendrick" Weiss took out one small glass box. Inside it, was a small piece of pale blue fabric; her former eye patch. "We will never for any reason forget you."

Their next stop after that was a considerably larger grave. It was tall and made of high-quality marble, flowers and wreaths having piled up all over the place, half-covered by snow. Two angel statues guarded it.

_**Carmel Family Grave**_

_**Sophia Carmel 57-86**_

_**Isabella Honey 38-76**_

_**Henry Carmel 32-76**_

The girls held a minute's silence in front of the family grave, before Weiss moved and let a single bouquet on top of the pile.

"To be honest, I am not sure I am doing the right thing" she begun. "You hurt so many people I love and killed my friend; I know I won't be able to forgive the things you did for the sake of your ambition."

The other three girls didn't comment; they just stood still, showing as much restraint as possible for the woman whose deeds brought them face to face with the monstrous entity that nearly took their lives.

"Yet I can't help but wonder; how much of these was truly your fault?" the ex-heiress crossed her arms in deep thought. "How much was the world's fault; slowly and steadily turning you into this and-"

She paused for a moment, licking her lips "would I have ended the same way if not for my friends? Was our only difference- the only thing that kept me from becoming a cold, manipulating businesswoman- luck after all?"

Weiss closed her eyes "I truly think you were a brilliant woman and I am honestly sorry life treated you this way. I truly wish I could be your friend, Sophia. Farewell; I hope you find peace."

She moved towards her friends and they slowly walked towards the last place they intended to visit, deep inside the cemetery Military Area.

As they moved closer to Winter's grave, pretty easy to spot due to her towering statue, they all noticed a well-dressed figure standing in front of the marble stone.

"Whitley?" the alabaster huntress narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Now that is weird. How often does he come here?" Blake asked. "Well I have no intention of waiting for him; let's ask him to-"

"Yang wait please" Weiss stopped her. "Let me talk to him first, will you?" she asked her teammates. "Are you sure?" Ruby replied. "I have to ask him something and this time is as good as ever" she explained.

All of them nodded and Weiss proudly yet softly walked towards her sister's grave, the last bouquet of flowers in her hand. As soon as he heard her, Whitley turned around and faced her.

"Nice eye, sister. Almost as nice as your new emblem" he added. "And congratulations on your… marriage? Engagement?" he pointed at her right hand where her own engagement ring was.

Weiss stared at her brother and the fresh, beautiful array of hyacinths in front of Winter's statue. It was weird. Usually talking to that brother of hers infuriated her to no end, but now that she thought about it…

"You are a liar Whitley" she firmly told him. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, visibly perplexed. "You told me that you didn't like Winter but" she pointed at the flowers "you were lying, weren't you?"

The boy nodded and assumed a firmer, less playful stance. "Did you know sister" she blinked in anticipation for what he was going to tell her "that despite father's prohibition Winter still kept coming by?"

"Yes" she replied. "Once a week, to arrange some paperwork- oh my" realization hit her and she looked at her brother in shock. "She was stopping by to check up and have a talk with me" he confirmed it.

"Whitley…" "Don't misunderstand" he firmly stated. "It's not that I like you less because you didn't do that. It is as simple as I told you before; I admire her determination and feel like I should properly convey it."

They stood for a while, staring at each other, before Weiss exhaled and stretched her hand out to him- much to everyone's great confusion.

"There is so much bad blood between us that I don't even want to think about it" she said "and I never expect us to act friendly and all. But you know…"

The former heiress gave a small smile "I think I would like to be able to talk to you about my life should we come across each other at some point; what do you think Whitley?"

Whitley stared at his sister slightly heterochromatic eyes and then at her outstretched arm. He chuckled and then shook it with his own "I think I would like that… Weiss."

* * *

**Once more I want to express my special gratitude to my friend and beta reader FenMa who helps me design all of RWBY's outfits (or, more accurately, designs them on her own). She is the best; really! **


	68. Gazing at the Past, Walking Forward

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope that you are all doing well. **

**Chapter 68, the second part of the Gloomharrow epilogue, is here. As always, I hope you enjoy it! **

**Once more (no, I am not stopping doing that) I want to thank you all for following/favoring/ reading the story. You are the best! **

**See you next week with the last chapter of the Arc. Have fun! **

* * *

_**March 8**__**th**__**, 86 **_

_**City of Atlas, Upper District**_

Night had fallen dark and deep in the city of Atlas. The Upper District buildings, covered in the ever-present layer of snow, stood silent and proud, only security patrols and night lights greeting the broken moon.

Among the vast and sometimes excessively ludicrous mansions that spread all over the area, one stood dominant, easily overshadowing every other competitor.

The Schnee Family Manor, a massive, Π-shaped building formed by a series of smaller ones stood in the middle of the luxurious district, its numerous triangular red rooftops and tall columns filled in white snow.

Extensive gardens, covered in a white layer and decorated with statues of all sizes depicting the Schnee Family Snowflake Crest, surrounded the road leading to the front entrance.

And, inside those gardens, hidden inside a series of well-tended bushes, a pair of conspicuous women dressed in gray-white winter outfits was carefully hidden, waiting for the patrol drones to move away.

"When two days ago I told you I wanted to make a fresh start and be more honest with myself, I didn't imagine the first thing we would do would be breaking in my father's mansion" Weiss complained.

"Since your brother is lending us a hand, does it count as breaking in?" Yang joked. "Hmmm… I know it does; for my father at least" the reply came, making her lavender eyes narrow in mirth.

"You have become much better in keeping up with my jokes. I have to step up my game" the brawler retorted. "Please no. Blake may really kill you if you do that."

The drones moved to the next sector and the Freezerburn pair tiptoed across the white terrain. Weiss was sure her father's state-of-the-art security robots had motion capturing sensors installed in them.

As soon as they stepped next to the back door, Weiss gave it a slight push with her elbow. It was unlocked, as she had been told to expect.

"Geez, I would have never thought your brother of all people would help us get in the mansion" Yang whispered. "I may have more or less misjudged him way too many times" Weiss sadly replied.

"Speaking of him" the tall girl continued "what did his instructions say again?" Weiss rolled her eyes; she had told her girlf- no, her fiancée- at least six times about this.

"We just have to move to the family library on the second floor without being seen. After that, everything has been taken care of" she replied, carefully moving next to the wall to avoid a couple cameras.

"And, you trust him?" the immediate reply came. "I have decided to do so, yes" she threw back. "Lead the way then" Yang finished their small banter as they stealthily climbed the staircase to the first floor.

About half an hour of stealthy moving and careful crawling, both girls turned to a small corridor, a little less lit than the rest of the mansion.

"Here it is" Weiss said, moving on all fours to avoid another camera. "I trust you, baby. And I am very ok with that particular stance, just so you know." "I am so kicking the world out of you later" she hissed back.

A few minutes later and after making sure no camera or security guard had noticed them, Weiss and Yang opened a small wooden door and moved inside one of the mansion's least used rooms- the old library.

The door was carefully shut behind the tall blonde, who pointed at the small camera monitoring from above. It had stopped working, the red button being closed off.

Weiss nodded in gleeful approval and turned around. The room was not vast, but it had a considerable size, with series of dusty old bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling, vertically placed along its length.

A medium-sized table was next to the small window, illuminated by a couple dust-powered lamps. Unlike the rest of the manor, there was no fresh paint coating the bricks that formed the wall, giving it an antique looking.

"This looks almost… abandoned" Yang commented. "Father was always preoccupied with work, and none of us ever cared about this place" her fiancée replied. "Mother, well, I have no idea what she does save for-"

Weiss stopped. "Someone's here" she stared towards the far end of the room, her eyes noticing a figure walking out of the shadows. "Whitley? Is that you?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say so" a deep, womanly voice replied, as Willow Schnee stepped into view. Dressed in her purple-white outfit, hair tied in a side ponytail, her smile had the same melancholic tune Weiss remembered.

_Wow_ Yang stared at the surprisingly tall and elegant woman. _Guess this is where Weiss get her looks from, huh?_

"Mother" the young pale girl stared at her "what are you doing here?" her voice was heavy and filled in conflicted emotions, like her feelings towards the woman.

"I asked Whitley to let me see you" she crossed her hands, her slate eyes falling on their matching rings "and meet your fiancée as well. But if my presence here is unpleasant to you, I will take my leave."

Something about her tone, possibly the lack of mental strength or the exhausted mannerisms accompanying it slightly stung Yang's heart. The woman seemed like she had almost given up even on speaking.

"Ahem" the tall blonde straightened her posture. "It's an honor to meet you, Madam. I am Yang Xiao Long, Weiss' fiancée. I am really sorry to be meeting you like this" she tried to be as friendly and chill as possible.

"What a polite lady you are" Willow tried to form a bigger smile, slightly managing to pour out a little more emotion than usual. "You have quite the taste, Weiss. At least, better than me it would seem."

She stared at her daughter's eyes, at once realizing the slight difference in color "it looks great on you. You always were the defiant one after all my-" "How are you doing mother? Are you ok here with _him_ around?"

The Schnee matriarch blinked for a moment. "At this point, I have more or less gotten used to it" she replied. "But, those last two days, I have been happier than I ever remember since we lost your sister."

Yang gulped as silently as she could, her eyes fixed on the two women. "Mother… I…" Weiss closed her eyes but didn't avert her head or gaze from the woman.

And then, something totally unexpected happened. The white girl took one step forward and hugged Willow, who nearly froze in shock.

"Weiss…" "I have been a terrible daughter to you and an even worse sister to Whitley; I... have been thinking of it so much lately" she told her. "I know I can't take back what I have done, but I really want you to know; I never stopped loving you Mom."

The older woman reluctantly returned her embrace "I only ever wanted you to be happy" she sent a side glance towards Yang who wiped a tear off her face "and know that, despite all the bad memories, there are people you love you in this place, Little Snowflake."

"I know" Weiss broke the hug and gave her mother a wide smile "and I am sorry for not showing it to you- or to Brother." Willow gave a quick smile of her own and spoke again.

"Your father will return tomorrow, so you are free to search as much as you wish, until the morning shift arrives. Whitley told me you want to find your Grandfather's notes, is that right?"

"Exactly" the now-smiling huntress replied. "Do you happen to know about it?" The older woman shook her head "he only ever told me that he 'leaves all his experience at the hands of those who will succeed his name'. My father was that kind of playful man."

"I see…" Weiss tapped her chin blatantly ignoring Yang's flabbergasted face. "I am sorry I can't be of any more help- I will let you do your job for now. It was truly a blessing to see you again, Weiss."

She took a few steps forward "Mom" she stopped as soon as the voice filled her ears. "When I am done with this fight we are doing" the voice continued "I would love to bring my team here to meet you."

Willow didn't turn around- she had done a lot of things to her daughter and letting her see her mother cry would never be added to that list, even if they were tears of joy.

"That would be fantastic" she only replied before making haste to her chambers, leaving two equally teary girls hugging each other behind her.

-o—

After a couple minutes of hugging and an hour of pointless searching, Yang crashed down on the closest chair, half-dejected and half-enjoying the view of Weiss standing on the ladder above her.

"No result with a quick search- looks like we will have to check them one by one" she grumbled. "We won't be able to do that before my father or the morning shift arrives" the tired reply came.

"Then we need some sort of inspiration or something" she cracked her metal fingers. "Like what?" "Dunno; you are the Schneecessor, you are the one who should know."

"I hope you are ashamed of that pun" the pale woman replied. _She is right, however. Grandpa Nicolas' words towards mother should have some meaning behind them._

"A successor, huh" she finally said. "What would that ever mean? As far as I am concerned, there is nothing of importance save for my glyphs. What am I supposed to do- summon Grimm to attack the library?"

Yang stood up. "Give me a second" she told her before walking away to the end of the second line of shelves. "Did you find something?" Weiss asked in disbelief.

_History… biology…Math… Ah! New Family Registers; here it is! _"Just a long shot, based on what your mother said about him being a playful man" Yang replied, taking out the book.

Only to see a rectangular hole in the wall behind it. She reached out her metal arm and pulled one small, old-looking book out. "I found it!"

"YOU _HAVE_ TO BE KIDDING ME!" Weiss had jumped down even before her voice was heard, rushing towards her girlfriend. "It was truly where the man said it would be- with his successors" she proudly smirked.

"Instead of me pondering whether I should be impressed or annoyed" Weiss commented, taking the book in her hands "let's get seated and read this" she continued, earning a haughty nod.

It took them about half an hour binging though interesting, yet totally irrelevant pieces of information from Nicolas Schnee's exploits from all over Remnant, until they managed to reach what they were looking for.

"Here it is- May 17th of year 21" Yang noted, pausing to allow Weiss, currently comfortably seated on her lap, to start reading out loudly.

_The small series of establishments we found scattered around inside the primitive cavern, really took me by surprise. They seem to belong to an organized society, despite them lacking any sort of knowledge on dust or affinity for modern technology. _

_Despite the numerous protests of quite a lot of miners, we thoroughly checked the abandoned village. We could only find a series of stone idols that quite surprisingly depicted some twisted Grimm forms. _

_The most important part, however, are the small runic arrays we found, carefully carved on the surface of heftily placed black, tall monoliths. They look extremely surreal, like nothing I have ever seen in my life. _

Weiss paused for a moment and stared at Yang. "It sounds like the runes we found in Gloomharrow." "The ones that resonated with your semblance…" Yang simply commented before they continued.

_May 24__th__, 21_

_There is a series of deep protests from my miners in regards to the abandoned village. I talked with their representatives and they told me nobody wants to go mining before we secure it. _

_I went down to the mines myself and talked to quite a few of them. A surprising and unexpected outcome was the fact that all miners who seemed to have issues with the place are faunus- they seem to know something, but refuse to tell me. Why? _

"Granpa Schnee was really intuitive, wasn't he?" Yang chuckled.

_However, I have to get to the bottom of this, even if I must force them to talk. If my men have a problem with their work, it is my duty to help them overcome it._

"He was also really kind and honorable" Weiss added.

_May 28__th__, 21_

_I finally managed to convince them talk to me. They insist this place was used by old faunus cults who worshiped Grimm. One that belonged to 'The Old Ways' as their legends called it._

_They hesitated to admit it, because they are still afraid of humans- not that I blame them. I swore that the place would be sealed and I buried it under a huge mass of stone and rubble. _

_I only kept a copy of the runes and buried the statues in a place I will not disclose to anyone. Some things are better left untouched. _

_June 5__th__, 21_

_I spent the entire day studying the runes. I was really afraid of what would ever happen if anyone else saw them, so I just recreated them in the basement. Tomorrow, I will try to experiment on them. _

A worried look was briefly exchanged between the two girls.

_June 6__th__, 21_

_This is WRONG! What in the name of Atlas was I thinking?! _

_I… summoned a Grimm! My semblance, the glyphs I used to combine with dust and manipulate the world around me… I was such a fool and tried to pour it inside the runes I had carved! Why did I do this! _

_And, Dear Fathers of Humanity! This form… I had killed it. I know it was the same Geist I had killed down in the mine- the one possessing that mass of rocks! But, those accursed arrays… brought it back! _

_June 9__th__, 21_

_This is my final entry here, only serving to explain what happened 3 days ago in a more organized manner. _

_The runes reacted to my semblance and managed to summon a copy of a Grimm I had killed! After my initial shock, I tried to use this again and, much to my excitement and sorrow, I realized I can now summon copies of any of the Grimm I have slaughtered around Remnant! _

_This is beyond comprehension and any understanding, but I am not one to falter! This power is not safe for human hands- it must not be shared with any of the poor souls living in Remnant. _

_I write those words, just in case any of my successors finds it. Just to be safe, I will just erase the runes and never talk about it to anyone! It must be buried with me forever!_

Weiss closed the book and stood up. "That explains it… why this sort of thing happened" she exclaimed, staring at Yang. "Grandfather fused old magic with the hereditary family semblance- making it able to perform those summons. He didn't realize this would pass down to us."

Yang scratched her head and exhaled deeply. "The only thing I have to say is this; at least something good came out of this story" she seriously stated. "Are you ok with it though?"

Weiss combed her hair with her left arm and nodded. "I am; it is a little unnerving, but nothing I can't deal with. Let's get out of here. I am a lot curious to see what Ruby and Blake have found."

-o—

**Meanwhile, **

**City of Atlas, Carmel Communications Building, Top floor.**

Ruby and Blake both felt a mixture of sadness and pity as they stepped out of the elevator and came face to face with both Peros Bishop and Wenge Knight.

Both men seemed even worse than they did in their press conference, deep wrinkles and grey hair visible even in the younger man's face.

They were finely dressed and seemed to carry no weapons on them, like they had promised. "Are you two alone?" Blake asked, trying to hide the sadness from her voice.

"There is nobody in the building to see us, as we discussed- only the night guards and they are on the lower floor at this moment. They will not come by until at least half an hour has passed" Wenge replied.

"Let's get this over with as fast as possible then" Ruby started walking "I am sure you don't want to see us more than necessary after all that have happened" she sent them a firm, yet courteous look.

"You are quite the gentle person Ms. Rose" Peros told her, leading all of them inside Sophia Carmel's former office. "We are completely aware of our part in this as much as our Lady's" he stated.

Blake sat on the PC and turned it on. "I just wanted to say; all of team RWBY is sorry for your loss. We really wish things would have turned out better than that" the red-caped girl explained.

"We are grateful for your kind words- and for giving us both a chance to make amends for our mistakes" the tanned man replied, as Blake typed 'Bruhmer' on the screen.

"So, you are staying in this place?" Ruby continued her questions. "The Atlas military basically sentenced us to and besides that we have both decided to try helping all the employees here after the SDC takes over."

"That is commendable" silver eyes narrowed in acceptance. "I wish you the best of luck with that. Weiss' father is one of a kind and that is me going easy on him" Blake added, waiting for the files to open.

"We deserve whatever comes in our way" Peros exclaimed. "Every day spending with that man will be a reminder of our sins and of the fact that someone we loved dearly paid for them" he continued.

Ruby wanted to argue that Sophia Carmel was the major sinner in this whole story, but she was cut off by Blake's cry "found the information! And it seems really useful!"

"What is it about?" Ruby asked her friend. "It seems Ms. Carmel was trying to analyze in secret the ingredients of the concoction Alizar used in Grimmwater and she intended to use on Alginos" she explained.

Silver eyes opened as the brunette stared at the two men "did you know about this?" Both nodded "we never saw the results; they were directly sent to this PC, but we knew she was trying to do that."

Blake took out a data chip and plugged it in, starting to download the files "Weiss' subordinates in the lab will definitely appreciate this" she commented after finishing the download and deleting the PC files.

"Are we done here?" Ruby asked her, earning a quick nod. "Thank you once more" she addressed the two men again. "I hope you manage to be well for the rest of the journey" they smiled at them.

"As I said, you are both too kind" Wenge forced a smile. "But I have to return the thanks. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to bury her where she belongs" he curtly bowed.

After the exchange of pleasantries, both girls turned away to leave, but were stopped by Peros' voice. "Oh, I almost forgot; there is something else you may be interested in" he told them.

"And what would that be?" Blake's eyes narrowed. "When Fenris sent us the threatening video, he did mention a person who seemed to be related to the production of this concoction" he explained.

Deep yellow and silver opened wide, both girls visibly interested. "Do you remember the name?" the cat-girl blurted. "Oh yes" Wenge was the one who replied.

"It was the name of a Professor- I think he called him Professor Azure."


	69. Farewell Atlas

**Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine. **

**Chapter 69 is here, concluding the Atlas/Gloomharrow arc. **

**I hope you enjoy it and I hope you enjoyed the entire arc as well. **

**Thanks once more for reading/ following/ favoring the story through another arc. You are all awesome! **

**I will see you all next week! Until then have fun and be well!**

* * *

_**March 10**__**th**__**, 86**_

_**Atlas National Airport**_

"Yes, Madam. As I said- please stop shouting at me!" Ruby's voice was heard across the spacious, yet almost devoid of people, gate of flight 34 to New Vale City.

The girl was walking in circles, quite a few meters away from her friends while talking on the phone to her Commander. "It is not our fault there is a delay on the flight. I know we were supposed to take the previous one…"

Blake and Weiss turned their heads, watching her getting chewed out with a mixture of discomfort and dread. Next to them, Alex and Yang were soundly sleeping, spread over a few chairs.

Albus, on the other hand, was sitting as silent as usual, playing a mobile game on his scroll with his headphones on, occasionally staring at the hyperactive brunette.

"Honestly, I don't know if it is our fault or not" the pale girl stared at Blake. "As most likely Goodwitch is saying to Ruby, losing our arranged flight because those three slept in is kind of our fault don't you think?"

"Yes, I agree. But it is so like us; lose a flight and have the next one get delayed for two hours" the ex-heiress let her chin rest on her right hand taking a half-bored expression.

"That said I can't blame Goodwitch for being angry. We have info from CC, your grandfather's notes, our own experiences in all 3 Eldergrimm cases, plus the results from Dr. Oobleck and the lab" Blake noted.

Weiss nodded in agreement "not to mention Sun's investigation on Cherry, Lumia, Neptune and Erik looking at Merlot Industries' old files and Velvet's assessment of Jaune's condition."

"If you combine all these, us losing the plane and forcing Vale Council to postpone our meeting for two days sounds a little inappropriate I would have to say" the cat girl finished her thought.

"Hmm, speaking of council" Weiss sat up "hasn't Ms. Hill and Ilia's press conference already started? We can-" "-streaming it already, ladies"

Without them notice, Yang had already gotten up, picked her scroll out and put it in front of the two other girls, pleasantly squeezing Weiss as she snuggled in her arms.

In the monitor, Robyn Hill was standing on a podium, her usual serious demeanor etched on her face, as she had her hair let down and had replaced her huntress clothes for a purple pantsuit with a white shirt.

"My God, she looks ridiculous" Yang blurted. "I… can't disagree with that to be honest" Weiss stared at the woman in shock. "This sort of dress code is so not like her" Blake chuckled.

"And she is not the only one" a metal finger pointed at the bottom left corner of the screen, where a familiar faunus was standing, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Ilia was dressed in the Happy Huntresses' formal attire; a blue winter uniform with pants and an open jacket with a red blouse inside. Her weapon was strapped on her belt and she wore soft, brown boots.

If the cat girl wanted to be honest the attire really suited her. But at the moment, Blake was too preoccupied deciding whether she should feel sorry for or laugh at the poor chameleon girl who was almost as red as her blouse, trying to keep as stiff a posture as possible.

"Is Ilia going to be ok?" Yang asked. "She looks really uncomfortable and to be fair I am not sure if working for Atlas is exactly a good thing for her." Weiss and Blake both sighed. "Well…" the faunus girl started.

_Earlier today, Matthew Moose's house_

"Come again?" Blake asked in shock, her yellow eyes wide open at her childhood friend. Ilia was seated opposite her and Weiss in the middle of the living room, 3 hot cups of tea in front of them.

"I decided to accept Ms. Hill's offer and join the Happy Huntresses" she said again, visibly deterred by the reaction- not that she didn't expect it of course.

"I will be attending the press conference she will be giving later today so that's why I wanted to talk to you" the chameleon girl explained. "I wanted to see the others too, though. Where are they?"

"The dolt sisters and Alex are still asleep" Weiss' eyes narrowed. "Mr. Moose and Albus are outside gathering some wood. They should be back in a while, so I think you will be able to bid them farewell at least."

"I see… well" Ilia sipped some tea to clear her throat "the reason I am staying behind is what happened in Gloomharrow" she finally said. "In regards to how little help I was to all of you actually."

Blake and Weiss shared a confused look, giving her the opportunity to elaborate "I was unconscious half of the time- I couldn't help you fight Fenris and I was a burden while you took on the Morkvind."

Ilia's head hang and her skin turned a little orange-red with shame. "I want to be of use- I want to be able to help people the right way. And by being stationed here as a member of the Huntresses I maybe, just maybe, be able to make up for my worthlessness back then."

"Ilia…" Blake whispered. "Well" Weiss put down her own cup and fixed the chameleon girl with a serious stare. "If this is how you feel and how you believe you should act, I have no right to object to it, Ilia" she said.

"However" Ilia blushed as she saw the pale girl's lips curl into a tiny and refined smile "don't forget your devotion and decisiveness are the only reason Blake and Yang are alive and with us right now."

"I…" she wanted to object, but the ex-heiress' smile was so brilliant, so calming… the maroon-headed woman turned to her fellow faunus for support, but was met with a firm and gentle nod instead.

Weiss got up and straightened her skirt "to me; no, to all of us, this is much more important than the killing of any Grimm or the defeat of a psychotic bandit."

"I…" she hid her fiercely red face in her palms "thank you" she barely managed to whisper after a few seconds. The white girl hummed in a satisfied manner and started walking away.

"Are you going to wake them up?" Blake asked her. "Well, yes. Catching our plane aside" she rolled her eyes to put some emphasis in it "those three morons should at least have the decency to see Ilia out."

"Yeah I remember that" Yang commented after Blake finished retelling today morning's events. "That explains why someone was really eager to kick me out of bed" she kissed Weiss' cheek.

"Well, as a matter of fact-" _"Councilor Hill!"_ the loud voice of a reporter coming from Yang's scroll cut Weiss off. _"What about the new species of Grimm Specialist Ebi of the AceOps announced was found in Aegis?"_

"Oh, they are going public with it?" Blake expressed her confusion. "I didn't see Clover's interview yesterday, but from the looks of it General Albion decided to cover it up as a new species of Grimm huh?"

"Well, in my opinion it is better than Ozpin's plan of keeping things close to heart" Yang hissed. "As if there is any debate on that" Weiss commented.

"_Thank you about the question- it is a very important one"_ Robyn Hill answered, tapping her fingers on the podium.

"_It is as Specialist Ebi announced; the incident that claimed Sophia Carmel's life might have been instigated by the Blood Moon Company, but it led to the discovery of a new, unregistered Grimm species._

_However, as much ominous as the appearance of an unknown monster may sound, I am happy to inform you all that measures have been taken against it from the Atlas Council- both its containment inside the forest and the gathering of important information about it._

_On that matter, I would like to have you all meet Ms. Ilia Amitola, the newest member of the Happy Huntresses" _The camera switched to the chameleon girl who was trying her best to prevent her skin turning even redder at any moment, bowing as the audience clapped in excitement.

"_She is going to be the captain of a small scouting team that will work along with Mr. Mathew Moose, a freelance native of Aegis. _

_Their task is going to be monitoring of the new Grimm's containment, as well as keeping Aegis forest and Everfrost peak in isolation. As of this moment, the place is considered a 0-type threat zone."_

"That may truly be for the best" Blake commented "and if Ilia is the one leading the security teams, I can trust things to go as well as possible."

"Yeah" a slightly joking voice sounded from behind. "Except for my peace and quiet that is" Mathew Moose, dressed in his heavy winter clothes, walked slowly towards them.

"Hey there!" Yang jumped up to go and shake the tall faunus' hand. "How did you pass the gate check?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I simply showed the 'honorary huntsman' badge Ms. Hill gave me" he replied.

"That is a cool thing- I want one too" Ruby, visibly dejected, walked to the man and even Albus and a drowsy Alex moved towards them. "Ms. Goodwitch was really mad; we may have to look for a new job soon."

"Heh" Yang scratched her head in discomfort and even Blake and Weiss felt a little chill down their spines. "Is your commander that scary?" the man asked them, seeing their reactions.

"It's more that she is someone we truly respect and appreciate. One we don't want to disappoint if we can avoid it" Albus explained to the man.

"But meanwhile, we know she has no qualms about flinging us to the forest in a fit of rage when we are going way too overboard with our antics" Alex yawned.

"She sounds like a terrifying woman all right. But then again, I should expect nothing less from the one who commands the team that saved Remnant" he chuckled.

"As for that" Albus tried his best to not laugh "I still can't believe it took you so long to realize who Ruby is." "And I was really happy for that" said girl commented "I am exhausted dealing with-"

"**ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS!"** the speakers boomed; cutting off any remark Ruby tried to phrase.

"**FLIGHT 34 FOR NEW VALE CITY WILL DEPART IN 30 MINUTES. PLEASE, PROCEED TO BOARDING THE PLANE VIA GATE D! WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE!"**

"And that is our cue to leave" Yang grabbed both her and Weiss' bags. Ruby took one step forward and hugged the man. Without any restrain, he hugged her back, making everyone around them smile.

"Thanks for everything" she said after they broke the hug. "We owe you so many things, I can't even list them" Albus smiled. "We have to somehow repay you one day" Alex added.

"If you want to, just pay me a visit next time you visit Atlas" he replied. "Judging from what is going to happen the next months, your friend will be around as well."

"It's a deal then!" Ruby giggled before all of them grabbed their luggage and passed the gate, waving at the person whose hospitality had been so generous during that last month.

"Farewell Mr. Moose!" Weiss screamed as they moved towards the plane. "And farewell Atlas! Hope you don't miss us that much!" Yang added to her fiancee's voice.

Matthew stared at the girls boarding along with a few, considerably less noisy passengers. Then, a few seconds after the plane started getting off, his scroll rang.

"Hello? Moose here" he replied. "It's me, Ilia" the girl's voice was heard from the other side. "Don't you have call ID or something?" she asked him.

"I may be familiar with how to use scrolls and appliances, but never felt the need to check their functions like that." "Fuah, remind me to show you at some point" she exhaled. "Anyway; did I miss them?"

"They just left" he answered. "I see… if I knew they would have missed the flight I would have ran to them as soon as my part here was done" she said with a tinge or regret in her voice.

"Don't fret, girl. You will see them at some point; friendships like this are not easy to break despite the distance." "Hmmm… you may be right" she replied, not totally convinced. "Is this why you called me?"

"Ah, right. I am going with Ms. Hill to Barney's. We are having lunch to meet my new team and thought it would be a good idea for you to come as well."

"Ah, and here I was hoping to spend a lazy afternoon fishing at home" he faked discomfort. "I am coming girl. Hope the food there is good."

"Great!" she replied. "But please, no 'girl.' Feel free to call me Ilia, Mr. Moose!" He blinked for a moment and then chuckled in an amused manner. "Fine by me; but no 'Mister'. Just call me Matthew, Ilia."

-o—

"So, Carmel is dead" Professor Azure's image inside the scroll said. "Exactly- and since Dahlias has been dead for quite some time as well, that means we effectively lost two people in Atlas" Bistre replied.

"Well, judging from what your new comrades have told us, Maize, it would seem Dahlias was never one of us to begin with" the professor stated.

"Indeed" the third and final member of the conversation spoke. "Fenris played us like fools for quite some time and Sophia compromised all of us by hiding Alginos' location and trying to keep it for herself" he said.

"Losing someone as opportunistic as Sophia is not a sad result" the brown-haired man replied "but her skills in amassing and progressing information were incredibly valuable- that is a considerable setback."

"A pity about the loss of Fenris, too. He would be an excellent ally to our cause should he had decided to join us" Glaucous followed. "Not to mention the interesting concept of a Grimm devouring another one."

"I was sure it would pick your interest, Professor" Maize acknowledged. "However, at this point I would like to underline that completing the concoction is more important than ever. So, let it be for now."

"Even if I could, passing by Atlas' guarded territory would be almost impossible for me" he rubbed his nose. "But on another matter; why aren't Alizar and Cherry present?" he asked.

"I am here Professor" the younger man's voice sounded from Maize's line. "I simply let Mr. Goldenrod talk to not overflow the connection; we are lacking CC's quality systems at this point."

Both Azure and Bistre noted with extremely interest the calm and quite more reserved manner Alizar spoke with, before the tall man replied as well "Cherry is out of reach right now, but checked with me yesterday."

"Well that is acceptable, all things considered" blue eyes blinked. "Are you going to search for Sophia and Dahlias' replacements Bistre? It's been quite some time since we were missing two people at once."

"I will; but before that I think something has to be done with those huntresses who are starting to seriously mess around with us" he said, earning two pairs of raised eyebrows "but I will need some time."

"Wait" Maize stopped him. "Are you willing to go through with your plan? It is too soon for that!" Not even raising his mellow voice one bit, Bistre replied.

"And this is why I will use the weakest of them all for the plan. It will take some time to find it and set the stage, but it will without fail end team RWBY. Or at least give them more urgent matters to deal with than hunting you three down."

"Speaking of that" Azure interjected "is there a possibility that I can borrow either Alizar or Cherry's services until the time comes?"

"I am afraid it's impossible for me" the boy's voice replied. "I am really close to pinpointing Tephrus' tomb." Maize nodded "and we will start the awakening progress as soon as he does so" he added.

"Cherry is also in an important task of tracking down the Elders" Bistre rubbed his chin "what brought this request, Professor?" The turquoise haired man exhaled deeply before answering.

"Someone hacked my old data files a few days ago. There was nothing important inside, of course, since I keep all the essential information in a standalone PC in my lab, but it still worries me."

"How so" Maize urged him to continue. "I keep all my previous work places' accounts active in order to lure anyone from my past businesses who wanted to hack me there and become aware of their intentions."

"A sound strategy" Bistre commented. "However, this time, the files hacked were the ones I had from Merlot Industries- a place that no one should be able to connect with me."

He stopped for a moment to bite his lips "The only files I left behind with my name in them are in the company's server, accessible only from Dr. Merlot himself, as he requested."

"Or from a huntsman who can find the server in Mt. Glenn and be skilled enough to crack it open and trace you from there" the brown bearded man continued following Azure's train of thought.

"Lumia Starlight" Maize, a stern and determined expression on his face, suddenly announced. "Who is that?" Alizar's voice was heard asking.

"I met her due to my… unique circumstances" the tanned man traced his cheek with a muscular hand "she is a close friend of team RWBY and an immensely skilled computer technician- as well as the only one Maiden who survived the war" he explained.

"That's bad" Azure commented, now slightly anxious "if we are right, it means team RWBY is coming after me- it shall be a matter of time before they find this place. This is why I want help" he firmly stated.

"It seems we are all in a pinch. Fine" the tall man's image moved a little "I shall immediately dispatch Cherry at your location, Professor. I think she, along with your hideout's natural defenses, will be plenty enough."

-o—

The call ended and Maize turned around to check the expression on his three comrades' faces. Robert Ink and Stella Taupe were really skeptical while Alizar was trying his best to contain his frustration.

"It looks like the situation has started getting out of your control" the warthog faunus grumbled. "Instead of hunters, your little group is turning into prey."

"Sending one woman against RWBY? Are you sure you people can hold your own part of the deal, Goldenrod? Do you really trust your little fox that much?" Stella Taupe smirked at the man.

"She won't be able to take them on" Alizar answered instead, making Maize stare at him in interest. "In that case, maybe we should be the ones to go after them instead" she giggled.

"As if" he scoffed "Cherry is much stronger than you two combined, you fools." "What did you say _human_?" Robert stood up, fuming from his nose.

"I merely stated the truth" he answered. "Cherry is much stronger than you, but team RWBY is much stronger than her. So, just help us see our plan through and sooner or later, team RWBY will come to us."

Both faunus scoffed back at him and turned around "we will be outside; call us when the next mission begins" the owl-woman spat.

After the door was closed, Maize turned to Alizar "I am impressed; I thought that you, of all people, would be annoyed at Bistre or Glaucous fighting RWBY despite you training that hard to take them on."

The boy combed his vivid red hair with his calloused fingers "RWBY will not fall to Azure or Woodrock- they underestimate them too much. And they are wasting Cherry's potential using her like hired muscle."

"Oh? And why do you think this is what's going to happen?" the older man asked, half amused. "Because I have fought all of them" Alizar stared at him "and I know firsthand how much of a monster each of those five women is."

* * *

**P.S I asked it already, but I would love to hear which arc between Gloomharrow and Grimmwater you liked the most. Thanks in advance everyone!**


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